Meet Linda Collazo | Opera Singer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Linda Collazo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Linda, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always gravitated towards art, especially music. The moment my mom put me in piano lessons at the age of 7, I was hooked. At first, it was a hobby… Then as I grew older, it became an emotional outlet. Once opera was introduced into my life, when I attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School as a vocal major, my love for music slowly transformed from being an emotional outlet to a career path. It all became clear in college when I started to get my first little gigs throughout NYC as a soloist. After college, my singing took me to Italy and I got jobs at opera companies throughout the United States including Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance, Sarasota Opera, Opera Naples, and the Aspen Music Festival. From these opportunities, I knew opera was something special and a path I had to follow. I haven’t looked back since! Music is a big part of who I am and has opened so many doors for me!

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I am a mezzo-soprano opera singer and music teacher from the South Bronx, New York. I started singing opera when I was admitted to Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School as Vocal Major. Since the core-curriculum was opera, I was kind of forced to sing the genre! However, once I started singing in this style, I knew it was where I belonged. Since high school, opera has taken me to so many places and has granted me so many scholarships and honors that have helped me afford my studies in opera. But it’s not always easy. Being an opera singer is incredibly demanding and requires I practice often to prepare for auditions and performances. There have been moments where I have experienced failure and have felt very inadequate… In classical music there is a lot of pressure to be “perfect.” What has helped me get through this is learning to trust myself and my abilities, working hard, and taking advice from people who know and understand this business and care about me and my development.

Some of the biggest lessons I have learned in this industry is to be assertive in a professional manner and to never be afraid to ask for what you want. The mantra “Ask and you shall receive” runs through my head frequently and has helped me to advocate for myself and my abilities as a singer.

Aside from performing, giving back to my community is a big part of my identity. Over COVID-19, I was able to develop my own music studio and teach from my own home virtually and in-person to youth in the Bronx and beyond. I now have over 25 private students! In the South Bronx, there are few opportunities to learn music or perform. I am hoping to change that as I continue on as an opera singer and teacher. I am also the Performing Arts Coordinator at The Point CDC in Hunts Point, where I am working to reinstate and develop the free music-education program the non-profit offers to Bronx youth. Being a teacher has helped me to stay connected to and inspired by music throughout the pandemic and constantly reminds me of how much music education can improve and change lives, no matter the proficiency of the student or the age!

My upcoming performances in Aspen, Colorado are below:

7/28 Vocal Arts Showcase at the Wheeler Opera House @ 5PM
https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/vocalarts-showcase-4

7/30 Opera Encounters at the Wheeler Opera House @ 10AM
https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/opera-theater-class-6

8/13 Opera Encounters with Nico Muhly at the Wheeler Opera House @ 10AM
https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/opera-theater-class-8

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I really love going to the Benedict Music Tent at Aspen! It is so beautiful and the performances there are marvelous! I also really enjoy eating at Hickory House and find it to be very affordable! I also would take them on a Gondola ride to the mountains, maybe go for a hike, and have some wine at the Sundeck Restaurant while staring at a beautiful view!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First, I really need to thank my voice teacher, Manny Perez, for taking me under his wing right before COVID-19. He is a teacher that is really in demand and I am lucky to have a place in his roster. He has not only helped me vocally, but also mentally. This business is very difficult and failure happens frequently. Him always being one call or text away has helped me to feel safe and secure as I continue on as an opera singer. He is also a teacher that is not afraid to be frank and honest with his students about what it takes to succeed, which has given me several reality checks about this industry and has woken me up to the discipline and hard work being a professional opera singer requires.

Second, I sincerely have to thank the Aspen Music Festival and School for granting me a Vocal Fellowship. I wouldn’t be in Colorado studying with the best of the best if I did not receive this support! Thank you!!!

Third, I want to thank The Point C.D.C. in the South Bronx, which is the non-profit I grew up with and now work for as a teacher. Without their free music-education program, I wouldn’t be the musician I am now.

Finally, I have to thank my amazing mother. When I suffered a seizure at 2 years old, my mom grew concerned that I might grow up with a mental disability. This is what prompted her to find free and cheap music programs in the South Bronx, since she believed music helps the brain… I also credit her to me being the musician I am today.

Website: www.lindacollazo.com

Instagram: @lindaritza | www.instagram.com/lindaritza

Facebook: www.facebook.com/lindacollazomezzo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVBC4WzH3YHU3zVyT73kZbQ

Other: Below is a calendar of my upcoming performances here at Aspen, Colorado: 7/28 Vocal Arts Showcase at the Wheeler Opera House @ 5PM https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/vocalarts-showcase-4 7/30 Opera Encounters at the Wheeler Opera House @ 10AM https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/opera-theater-class-6 8/13 Opera Encounters with Nico Muhly at the Wheeler Opera House @ 10AM https://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/events/calendar/opera-theater-class-8

Image Credits
José Giralt Lucero Luna Gloria Mendez