Teen POV: An Orchestra for San Miguel

By Liam Stidham

I grew up listening to rock thanks to my dad. He set a wide influence on me as a kid and I'm thankful for that. But my mom has made sure that I also got a good dose of classical music. She enrolled me into piano and violin lessons when I was really young and she has always dragged me to see classical music concerts, plays and ballet recitals. 

When we heard that San Miguel finally had an orchestra, she dragged me to that too, and I really enjoyed it! In fact, we went to every concert they had this season. Something that really caught my eye was that there were kids playing in the orchestra! I wanted to learn more so I invited the director, Maestro Víctor Hugo Ramos Fonseca, for a cup of coffee (yes, I drink coffee) so he could tell me about himself, the orchestra and the Youth Symphony. I learned a lot of interesting things! Víctor Hugo Ramos Fonseca studied at the University of Guanajuato and majored in Music. His instrument is the piano but one day he heard some violinists playing next door and he started imagining putting a bunch of musicians together and making music, but he thought of something even better, a Symphony! Dramatic music. He has conducted the orchestra of The University of Guanajuato, and others in Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Puerto Vallarta and Chile. He has also done piano recitals in Europe. He has a lot of experience! He realized that there were many kids in San Miguel that wanted to learn how to play an instrument, so he started teaching them while making a plan to incorporate them into the orchestra that he was putting together. Something not easy to do.

Finally the first season of the San Miguel Symphony Orchestra arrived! It was composed of five concerts, each one with a different theme, according to the month. In the first concert he wanted to make sure we got to know the musicians so they played classical pieces to present some of them: Michael Severens, cellist, Israel Esparza, clarinetist, Turkkan Osman, violinist. All of them very impressive! In February for Valentine's Day, they played songs that were related to love, even some opera. In the Spring, Vivaldi's Four Seasons. My favorite concert was the children's day concert in April, when they played famous movie themes. And in May, the Juan Gabriel concert for the moms. He told me that they are having a tribute concert to Queen in August!

"But what about the youth orchestra?" you're probably thinking... Some of them played with the professional orchestra this season, but they are constantly working on their own music. They practice every day individually and as an ensemble every Friday for two hours. They also have their own season and have played in different places in Guanajuato, Jalisco and Mexico City. Those who achieve a higher level get to play with the professionals like they did this past season: Daniel Uvalle (Trumpet) Lucia Ibarra (Flute) Sophia Campos, Renata Hernández, Jenifer Guerrero, Elian Hernández, Sofía Mora, Sebastian Sánchez (violinists) Rosa Prado and Elizabeth Ramos (cellists). In fact, they will be traveling to Chile to perform together this month!

Being a director isn't just conducting, it's having a big vision of what you want to do and convincing the musicians of being part of it. You must know the music, every instrument's part. You need teaching techniques, and you need to motivate your musicians. Being a musician isn't easy either. It involves a lot of practice and discipline. He told me that it's like being an athlete. You have to be prepared for the moment of truth and if you make a mistake, just fix it and keep on going. Every big thing comes from a dream. Maestro Victor Hugo Ramos Fonseca dreamed with the symphony orchestra that San Miguel de Allende needed and made it happen. It took a lot of work, time and dedication to create it. Some people didn't believe he could do it, but some people like his friend Alejandra García who even delivers tickets all over town, have helped manifest his vision. To make it grow, they are going to need sponsorships so they can hire more teachers to work with more kids. They will also need to sell a lot more tickets! I hope more people will support and enjoy both orchestras next season. We cannot miss the upcoming Mexican and Christmas themed concerts! So let's stay tuned.

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Liam Stidham is a twelve years old student.