Maria Abel Recital Series - Voice Recital and Film Debut: Cecilia Eguiarte

Soprano Cecilia Eguiarte was a Mexico District winner of the 2021 Metropolitan Opera competition, having previously taken first place in the international Francisco Araiza competition, but the awards are secondary to her achievements as a performer. In 2018, she sang the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s opera monodrama Luciérnaga at the Vértice Festival, and last year performed the lead role of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Staatstheater Meiningen in Germany.

Both performances were acclaimed. The music critic for the German daily Thüringische Landeszeitung, in a review of the Madama Butterfly production, wrote, “Cecilia Eguiarte Guevara stood out in the role of Cio-Cio-San, with a magnificent vocal performance that elicited numerous shouts of bravo.”

In 2023 Eguiarte moved from stage to screen as the star of Andrea Borbolla’s short film Muda (Mute), which won top prizes in several international film festivals, including best drama at the Independent Shorts Awards and best director at the London Movie Awards. Eguiarte herself won best actress at the AIMAFF festival in Athens.

Muda tells the story of opera singer Luisa, who has lost her voice after a traumatic breakup, and of the healing that leads to her recovery. Though the film was made in Mexico, to date it has been shown only at international festivals.

On Saturday, April 12, at 7pm, Eguiarte will give a recital of opera arias and art songs, by Puccini, Richard Strauss, Gounod, Rachmaninoff and other composers, at Casa Europa, San Francisco 23, Zona Centro, San Miguel de Allende, with pianist Sergio Vazquez. At the conclusion of her concert, Eguiarte and film director Borbolla will present the Mexican premiere of Muda, with subtitles in English, and then discuss the film with the audience.

This event is the latest edition of the Maria Abel Recital Series, co-sponsored by the Bel Canto Institute of San Miguel and the San Miguel MetOpera Trust.