The opera company founded by tenor Mario Chang and soprano Maria José Morales, Querido Arte presents La Traviata. Its new production aims to raise funds for literacy programs in rural areas of their country.

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Querido Arte, the Guatemalan opera company presents La Traviata, Verdi’s classic that reaches the public on Saturday, May 25 at 7:00 pm in the Sala ‘Efraín Recinos’ of the National Theater of the Miguel Ángel Asturias Cultural Center.

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The main objective of the realization of La Traviata is the raising of funds to benefit the literacy programs of Fundación Ramiro Castillo Love, in the rural area.

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The cast is comprised of great artists, led by Guatemalan tenor Mario Chang in the role of Alfredo, Cuban-American soprano Eglise Gutiérrez as Violetta and Cuban-American baritone Nelson Martínez as Giorgio Germont, directed musically by Master Nimrod David Pfeffer, with the direction of scene of Andrea Mijailovsky, and in charge of the Choir of Dear Art, Heber Morales.

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They cast is completed by the Mexican mezzo-soprano Cassandra Zoé Velasco in the role of Flora; like Gastón, the Mexican tenor Benito Rodríguez; the Guatemalan soprano Pamela Morales in the role of Annina; from Guatemala and like Dottore Grenvil, the bass Andrés Farrera; in the role of Barone Duphol, the Guatemalan tenor David Martínez; as the Marquese D’Obigny, the Mexican baritone Carlos López; the Guatemalan tenor Deryc Papadopolo as Giuseppe; and as the messenger and waiter of Flora, the local baritone Ricardo Morales. All accompanied by the Choir, Orchestra and Dance Body of Querido Arte, Opera of Guatemala.

The set design is by Adriana Recinos and her team; and the wardrobe from Jessica M. Jo and her team. In front of the dance corps is the choreographer Antonio Luissi. 

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La Traviata is sponsored by Banco Industrial, Claro, Cervecería Centroamericana, Cementos Progreso, Visa, elPeriódico, Westin Camino Real, McDonald’s, Channels 3 and 7.

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About Querido Arte
Querido Arte: Compañía de Opera de Guatemala was born as an initiative of Guatemalan singers, the tenor Mario Chang and the soprano Maria José Morales, to develop, train and disseminate the opera in Guatemala. They are a young opera company with a single goal in mind: to make Guatemala a benchmark in Latin America and the world through high quality productions, comprehensive development projects for artists, presentations that rescue the tradition and beauty of opera and events that positively impact our culture and society, transforming lives through music.

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About the Ramiro Castillo Love Foundatio
During 26 years of work Fundación Ramiro Castillo Love has provided educational attention to 506,286 Guatemalans: mostly over-aged children, young people and women from rural areas.

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In 2019, the literacy process is organized in 50 municipalities in the departments of Chiquimula, El Progreso, Jalapa, Huehuetenango, Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Sololá and Totonicapán. It supports the work of 621 teachers who are provided with bags of teaching material, as well as orientation, supervision and technical training visits, and the hiring of 238 of these educators is subsidized.

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This year the goal is to be able to serve 19,308 students in its two educational programs: Me Educo and ABCero Illiteracy. All students have received their corresponding endowments of textbooks and school supplies.