Today we’d like to introduce you to Carla Lucero.
Carla, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Los Angeles, specifically Manhattan Beach, and then attended CalArts for music composition. Then I worked in Hollywood for several years as a composer for indie films and dance productions. I also worked as a music producer. I eventually ended up in San Francisco, where my first opera, “Wuornos” was produced, as well as several other works of mine. As the Director of an international music consortium, ComuArte, I have traveled all over the globe with my music. Eventually, I’ve circled back to LA, where my second opera, “Juana” was produced in November 2019.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Opera is a difficult art form for a woman to succeed in as a composer because it has always been a “boys club” at the top of the food chain, Only recently have more women been appointed important creative and administrative positions in opera companies. This has greatly influenced the field to include more women’s works into the modern operatic canon, as well as fund the production of new works by women composers. This seismic change has only happened within the last five years or so in the US. Classical music, in general, has been slow to incorporate women’s music into the programming of major houses in the US. I saw it happening first in Europe and then in Latin America.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a composer of opera, ballet, chamber, symphonic works and film scores. I am especially known for my operas, as they are about women who pretty much defy stereotypes. My first opera is about the infamous female serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, executed in 2002, and my second opera is about Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, a 17th-century nun in Mexico City who is known as the first great poet of the Americas. Sor Juana went before the Inquisition and died two years later. Both of these women suffered greatly at the hands of men. One fought her oppression with a gun, and the other with a quill. I’m not suggesting that murder is ever the answer to anyone’s problems, but it did secure Aileen Wuornos’ place in history.
What were you like growing up?
I was definitely an introverted child…pretty much a music nerd. I went a little bit wild in high school, but my dedication and calling to music always saved me from going completely off the deep end. I practiced piano for hours each day before auditioning for college, so that kept me out of serious trouble. I was accepted into CalArts as a piano major but then switched to composition as a major in my second year. Another thing that has always been a part of my life is my love for animals and reading biographies of exceptional women in history. Eventually coming out personally and professionally as a woman who loves women, helped me make bolder choices with my work and gave me more confidence, in general, to work in such a competitive field. I truly believe in the saying “We’re only as sick as our secrets”. I don’t know who coined that phrase, but she or he is absolutely brilliant!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carlalucero.com
- Email: [email protected]
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