By: Azad Karimi
It is difficult for me to say exactly when I started as a professional artist, because professionalism grew naturally. I started singing in some small groups as a child, then in a choir where I became a soloist.
Interview
Argentinian Bariton Opera Singer Juan Font
By Azad Karimi
Juan is an interesting artist and he also has interesting art ... He is a baritone in opera.
Opera is a mixed art. That is theater and music and singing. Opera is a purely European art ... I may have written about it before, but here I will focus on the role of the singer's voice as an actor independent of the singer. I mean, in an opera performance, you see the singer sings, moves hands, and face, and you fall in love with his-her voice and face and you may never have noticed the role of his-her voice as an independent character. In Ave Maria, for example, with the performance of Maria Callas, her voice comes like a light from the depths of eternity and reaches the present and keeps you in the present ... and that means immortality. This voice comes out of her throat and it is her skill that shapes her, but when it reaches your ears, she becomes an independent character, and you never think about Maria Callas or imagine her in your mind but many excellent singers also exist in the listener's mind, when we hear their voice, her image is imagined in the mind because her voice is still a part of their being and the sound is not a character independent of the singer.
I allowed myself to write about Mariacalas' art in Juan's interview, but I do not intend to compare, because Juan is a male singer with his own abilities to develop his art but Maria Callas has been dead for years and she is not able to progress in her art.
Sound characterization is an unparalleled art and talent. If a vocal voice of the singer can make the images in the listener mind by the powerful performance in the tone which includes the correct execution of the spiritual and visual paradigms inside the rhythmic words(Lyric) for example, the singer says heat, the image, and feeling of warmth will immediately be created in the listener's mind. I do not like to write more than this, so I leave the explanation of Juan's art and experiences to the text of the interview, he has explained the necessary things well. Please read and enjoy. I wish happiness and success to this worthy artist, God bless him. I pray my God to rest Maria Callas the legend, in peace.
Thank you!
Vestland-Norway
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1.Please present yourself ( Name, education,job, Civil status and...)
.I am Juan Font, a professional lyric singer and musical theater performer from Argentina, and still living here. I have a degree in music and I have received training as a lyric artist from multiple sources throughout my life.
2.What is your artistic specialize?
.I am an opera singer,my voice type is: baritone and one of my distinctive characteristics or my specialty is to impersonate very different characters, with a wide vocal range …my vocal technique is my strongest strength… Performing, acting and creating characters (all the theatrical side) are the most enjoyable parts of my work.
3.When and how did you become interested in this field of art?
.I have been interested in academic music since I was a child. I started playing guitar at 6 years old and learning professional singing at 20. The whole side of character-making as an actor developed a little later when I realized that I needed that to improve my singing interpretation. I had always liked being a theater spectator, so the pleasure of playing roles had always been within me. Studying acting techniques just allowed me to let it out.
4.Who was your motivator?
.I must say that there was not just one motivator, but a multiplicity of incentives that motivated me. Listening to music and playing musical instruments has always been something important to me, and when I discovered that I could make music with my own body, it was quite motivating. That's why I quickly became a fan of vocal technique and the possibilities of the human voice. I continue to discover new ways to improve my vocal skills always, and I find it fascinating. Now, the whole creation of a new next character is my favorite game. I give myself completely to that and it turns absolutely motivating. There were lot of teachers and inspiring people throughout my training, and I still meet artists that I consider incredible, but my motivation does not come from them. My real motivation comes from inside, getting over myself is a rewarding experience itself.
5- What was your parents reaction?
.Since I was a kid, I've always sung and played an instrument at home.
So I think it was pretty obvious that one day I would become a professional musician. They were not surprised at all.
Perhaps I should say that being an artist is a choice that I make every day. I have always been interested in many things in life.
6- When started you such as a professional artist?
.It is difficult for me to say exactly when I started as a professional artist, because professionalism grew naturally. I started singing in some small groups as a child, then in a choir where I became a soloist. Then I played small roles in other musical theater performances, and meanwhile I was studying lyric singing in a very dedicated way, giving concerts and playing some small parts in small operas.
Later, I've been hired to play also small parts but in BIG operas, until one day I started to play leading roles in traditional operas, and I've been playing main roles since then. There was not an abrupt starting point, professionalism came little by little.
7- Are you thankful and happy because of your activities as an artist?
.Yes, I am thankful because I love what I do, and I feel very fortunate for that.
Each opera role I perform, is like a gift from life, a priceless feeling.
It is an activity where I combine my own passion (a selfish pleasure) with the possibility to give pleasure and joy to others (the pure selfless pleasure of giving and sharing)
But I must say that the career of an opera singer is not an easy path, they also have an ugly side: we are dealing with injustices all the time, talent does not guarantee the path.
There are few opera houses and many vested interests around us. Many times the artist that you see on stage is really not the best fit for the role. Unfortunately, it is not a fair game.
8- How you see the view ,the future of art, music, culture? You are an artist , you should have a opinion...
.I think art is widely misunderstood, and therefore undervalued.
Art is not a trivial activity, nor something that serves to amuse, cheer, sadden, much less something that only serves to pass the time.
Real art is not for entertainment purposes.
It is a deep look into ourselves, which can makes you discover a new world, even if it is a light and simple comedy, or opera buffa, in operatic terms.
True art sows a seed in your heart, opens a new perspective, takes you on a journey through emotion, and makes you realize that you are alive and that your moment is now. It is an experience that mobilizes you in a deep way.
If none of this happened to you, probably then what you saw or listen was not art.
About the future of art, I don't know if it's an opinion or a wish.
I'd like to think that materialism is coming to an end. Someday, people will understand that we come into this life to live experiences, and not to buy and accumulate things.
In that sense, art is not a "Thing". It is the purest expression of our souls, it is what makes us human, so I hope one day it will be valued for what it is.
This COVID pandemic, in part, has accelerated the feeling that when material things are useless, the human connection is the most important for us, and that is... art, a deep connection between people, sometimes within a theater, sometimes through a movie screen, through a frame in a gallery, or within a book.
9- Can you become one part of the cultural movement for motivation in youth or new generations in your country and so on?
10- How can you help our world become a better place to live?
.Every day, I make my humble contribution to create awareness, to awaken that sleeping humanity that hides in all empty people, those who do not know who they are, or why they are in this world.
I try to encourage them to try to be more sensitive and intelligent, something that I don't think is contradictory.
I believe that worldwide, we still have to learn the value of life, and to really enjoy being alive.
Only when I truly value MY life, am I able to truly value YOUR life, and your full development as a human being will be my joy.
When that finally happens, responsibility and care for others will be shared feelings.
11- Have you more word to say or suggestion for our readers?
.I send a big greeting to your readers, and I hope that my responses have been able to awaken the feeling of importance that art has as a human bond, and the value of life in general that allows us to express the purest of our humanity.Thank you!
Juan Font
