Beatriz Parra Durango
Encyclopedia
Ecuador's foremost classical soprano
, Beatriz Parra Durango was born in Guayaquil
, 1940. Her mother was the journalist Dora Durango Lopez. Parra Durango was married to Enrique Gil with whom had her only daughter, the vedette Beatriz Gil Parra, born in 1959. Her first studies took place at the Conservatory Antonio Neumane in the city of Guayaquil
, where she became the soloist of the Conservatory's choir. In 1957 she received her first prize when she participated in the competition "Searching for a Voice in Ecuador", organized by the House of Culture and Radio CRE. During that same year she became part of the cast of the Lyrical Ensemble of the House of Culture, and in 1958 she performs for the first time as a soloist onstage in the role of Duchess Carolina in the zarzuela
"Luisa Fernanda". In 1959 she sang the lead role in the Spanish Opera
Marina
under the conduction of the Spanish Maestro Carlos Arijita.
In 1960 she travelled to Moscow thanks to a scholarship given by the Ministry of Culture of the then USSR, and studied classical singing at the Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, studying under the legendary singer Nina Dorliak, wife to the celebrated pianist Sviatoslav Richter
. She graduated with the Award For Excellency in 1966. In 1965 she won the silver medal and second place in the International Vocal Competition organized by the city of Toulouse
, France
. She sang as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. That same year she received the gold medal in the Musical Competition of George Enesco, Romania
.
She has also attained several first places in vocal competitions in Barcelona
and Santiago de Compostela
, and has sung in some of the best Opera
houses in the world. In 1975 she received the award "Conchita Abadie" in Santiago de Compostela
.
For fifteen years she was a prima donna
and soloist with the Colombia
Opera Theater, where her repertoire included verismo
such as Verdi
and Puccini
, Romanticists such as Donizetti
and Classicists such as Mozart
. She has performed the role of Michaela
in the opera Carmen
by Bizet
on the stage of the Bolshoi
Opera House . In the fall of 2001 she was a guest performer of the Iberoamerican Culture Festival.
Currently, although she has retired from the scenic world, she teaches voice regularly as head of the Beatriz Parra Foundation, along with the Armenia
n baritone
Konstantin Simonian. At this current date, Beatriz Parra remains the only Ecuadorean vocalist to attain such a high level of achievement in the operatic world.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, Beatriz Parra Durango was born in Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, 1940. Her mother was the journalist Dora Durango Lopez. Parra Durango was married to Enrique Gil with whom had her only daughter, the vedette Beatriz Gil Parra, born in 1959. Her first studies took place at the Conservatory Antonio Neumane in the city of Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, where she became the soloist of the Conservatory's choir. In 1957 she received her first prize when she participated in the competition "Searching for a Voice in Ecuador", organized by the House of Culture and Radio CRE. During that same year she became part of the cast of the Lyrical Ensemble of the House of Culture, and in 1958 she performs for the first time as a soloist onstage in the role of Duchess Carolina in the zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
"Luisa Fernanda". In 1959 she sang the lead role in the Spanish Opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
under the conduction of the Spanish Maestro Carlos Arijita.
In 1960 she travelled to Moscow thanks to a scholarship given by the Ministry of Culture of the then USSR, and studied classical singing at the Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, studying under the legendary singer Nina Dorliak, wife to the celebrated pianist Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
. She graduated with the Award For Excellency in 1966. In 1965 she won the silver medal and second place in the International Vocal Competition organized by the city of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She sang as a soloist with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Moscow and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. That same year she received the gold medal in the Musical Competition of George Enesco, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
She has also attained several first places in vocal competitions in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
, and has sung in some of the best Opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
houses in the world. In 1975 she received the award "Conchita Abadie" in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain.The city's Cathedral is the destination today, as it has been throughout history, of the important 9th century medieval pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James...
.
For fifteen years she was a prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
and soloist with the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
Opera Theater, where her repertoire included verismo
Verismo
Verismo was an Italian literary movement which peaked between approximately 1875 and the early 1900s....
such as Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
and Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
, Romanticists such as Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
and Classicists such as Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. She has performed the role of Michaela
Michaela
Michaela is a feminine given name. It is a feminine form of the Hebrew name Michael , which means "Who is like God."It was rare in any country until it became fashionable in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the 1950s to 1970s...
in the opera Carmen
Carmen
Carmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
by Bizet
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
on the stage of the Bolshoi
Bolshoi
Bolshoi may refer to:*Bolshoi Theatre, a major ballet and opera theatre in Moscow, Russia**Bolshoi Ballet, resident ballet company at the Bolshoi Theatre**Moscow State Academy of Choreography, commonly known as The Bolshoi Ballet Academy...
Opera House . In the fall of 2001 she was a guest performer of the Iberoamerican Culture Festival.
Currently, although she has retired from the scenic world, she teaches voice regularly as head of the Beatriz Parra Foundation, along with the Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Konstantin Simonian. At this current date, Beatriz Parra remains the only Ecuadorean vocalist to attain such a high level of achievement in the operatic world.