INTERVIEW: Guitarist Berta Rojas joins with Paquito D’Rivera for special 92Y concert
Photo: Berta Rojas and Paquito D’Rivera will perform June 5 at 92N in New York City. Photo courtesy of the artists / Provided by Michelle Tabnick PR with permission.
Guitarist Berta Rojas will join Paquito D’Rivera, on clarinet and saxophone, for a special double bill Thursday, June 5, at 92Y in New York City. The two performers have been touring around Latin America for some time, and they bring their concert to the Big Apple with a special emphasis on Agustín Barrios Mangoré, a Paraguayan composer whose music has had a great influence on Rojas’ own playing.
On the bill, will be Mangoré’s “Choro da Saudade,” “Ca’azapa,” “Maxixe,” “Preludio en Do Menor” and “Las Abejas.” Rounding out the evening will be selections by D’Rivera himself, plus Demetrio Ortiz, José Asunción Flores, Néstor Zavarce and Mauricio Cardozo Ocampo.
Rojas has had a celebrated career, with her guitar work being met with critical acclaim and international awards. She won the Latin Grammy for Best Classical Album in 2022, thanks to her work on Legado. She has found success with tango and jazz compositions, and she has been featured on some of the world’s most famous stages, including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, among others.
Recently Rojas, who is now based at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox to describe the special June 5 concert with D’Rivera. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
When did you first fall in love with the music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré?
We Paraguayan guitarists began to study the instrument, and as soon as we could play, we began to play the works of Agustín Barrios. He is a civil hero of my country. His figure is represented on a national banknote.
Do you feel an obligation to share Paraguayan music with an international audience?
I feel happy when I can play the music of Paraguay because it is little known, and there are very beautiful works in their repertoire. I think they are still well kept secrets of Latin America.
When did you first pick up the guitar?
My older brothers were musicians and formed a popular music group. I was immediately attracted to music. I started studying piano, and it was a long time later that the guitar appeared in my life. And we have been in this idyll ever since.
Are great musicians born with talent, or do they learn it from their teachers and mentors?
“I don’t believe in the muses, but if they come, let them find me working,” is a phrase attributed to Picasso, and I agree with it. The journey through music depends on so many factors. Your good training is vital, especially at an early age, perhaps because if your teachers know how to get the best out of you, they save you a lot of time. The search is always personal. An artist is not a copy: The more personal they are, the more attractive their work is.
How did you first connect with Paquito D’Rivera? What has it been like touring the world with him?
I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him thanks to mutual friends who put me in touch with him. He agreed to receive me at his house: “Come home, and we’ll have rice and beans on the weekend.” And so I took my car and drove from Washington, D.C., to New Jersey. We were able to connect from day one. He became a great admirer of Mangoré’s music, and to have collaborated with him on an album and a wonderful tour like In the Footsteps of Mangoré is one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. We traveled through 20 countries together, closing our tour in San Salvador where Agustín Barrios is buried. The National Theater of El Salvador was full; it was very impressive.
How long does it take you to learn a new composition?
It depends a lot on the length, the technical/expressive difficulty and so many other factors such as external commitments that are not linked to the study of the composition. It is difficult to estimate, but I always remember what my teacher Manuel Barrueco used to say, that it takes you at least 20 live performances to feel that you know a work well.
How has your stay at Berklee College of Music been?
Berklee has become my second home, as has the beautiful city of Boston, where I felt welcomed with so much affection and respect. We have a great admiration for each other among colleagues and friends that we have made in this time that has passed almost 10 years. I hope I can continue for a long time more in this cradle of training of great musicians. It makes me very happy to be part of this community where learning is back and forth. It is a place where one never stops growing.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbo.com
Berta Rojas and Paquito D’Rivera will perform Thursday, June 5, at 92Y in Manhattan. Click here for more information and tickets.
