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Love is in the aria
Published February 12, 2006
When mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala of New York City steps out to take a bow to begin her recital this afternoon at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Lake Jackson, it won’t be a case of two worlds colliding.
It will be two worlds reuniting.
Zabala, who then was known by her first name of Jenni, lived in Lake Jackson from 1982 to 1990, when she graduated from Brazoswood High School.
Her dreams of a glittering musical career now a reality, she’s been based in New York City full time since 2003. But Zabala still has strong ties to the area — as well as a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunities she received here.
Her parents remain educators in the area; her mom Joy — a former teacher — now travels the world as a consultant. Her dad Adrian, who traveled extensively for Dow International — which is how the family came to Lake Jackson after living in Venezuela and Miami — is now a grade-school teacher for Brazosport ISD.
Zabala’s sister, Gaye Linford, is co-owner of The Local in Lake Jackson.
Not only is today’s concert a chance to reconnect with family and friends, it’s a chance to come back where it all began, musically.
The last time she remembers performing here was at her high school graduation at Freeport’s Hopper Field. And some people might not make the connection to the former Brazoswood drum major when they hear the name Adriana Zabala.
She legally changed her first name, not for stage reasons or for career considerations, but as a tribute to her Cuban and Spanish heritage, and her father and grandfather. Both were named Adrian.
Her grandfather was a highly successful Cuban baseball player as a left-hand pitcher who played for the New York Giants in the 1940s and was later inducted into the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in Miami.
“My grandfather used to tease me that as long as I do well, I could keep the name,” Zabala said. In one of the last performances he was able to attend before he died in 2002, “Afterwards he came up to me and said, ‘OK, you can keep the name.’”
It’s been a long road to becoming a successful opera, cabaret and Latin jazz singer, but it’s one she set upon early.
“There was never a time in my life without music,” Zabala said. “When I was very little, my parents were singing in the Miami Chorale Society. Everybody was chorally inclined and everybody did it for fun, and still do now.”
She started training seriously when she came to Lake Jackson, participating in both band and choir at Lake Jackson Intermediate School and Brazoswood, and taking private lessons and becoming active in community theater.
“It started to become a normal part of my life,” she said.
Lucille Levine and Catherine Wafford were among her voice teachers. But Zabala said although she became a vocalist, the band directors at Brazoswood, Jim Koch and Brian Casey, were as crucial.
“They were totally instrumental in me building confidence in my musicianship and my musical knowledge in general,” she said.
And almost as if it were a flash of lightning, Zabala can vividly recall when the inspiration came to make music her life’s work and passion.
She was in the seventh or eighth grade and — on a Wednesday night, a school night — she accompanied Little Theater director Judi James to the Lake Theater to watch the movie, “Amadeus.”
“It’s clichéd to say it, but honestly my life was never the same,” Zabala said. “I was completely taken with classical music and musicianship in general. The film opened up the fantasy and dream of it, and brought it to life.”
Zabala said the next crucial step came when she was 15 and her mom saw an ad for auditions in Houston to spend eight weeks in a summer program in Massachusetts at Tanglewood — the summer home of the Boston Symphony. She auditioned and was selected.
“That was the portal,” Zabala said. “You’re thrown in with totally world-class musicians as mentors. It was the point of no return and there was never any wavering.
“I always felt a little guilty when we would take these things in school to show you what your career should be,” Zabala said. “I would think, ‘I feel so lucky. I already know what I want to do.’
“I was very lucky to have had fortunate exposure and so much support and encouragement, especially always from my family, but also from mentors and educators,” Zabala said. “Not only was Brazoswood strong, but I sang in Symphony Chorus in Houston (at age 16 or 17). Every week, Mom drove me up there and that was more exposure and education.”
Brian Casey is associate band director at Brazoswood.
“I always worried about her voice,” he said. “She was a drum major in the band and would have to bark out the commands, then she would leave to go sing with the Houston chorale.”
The career pace quickened when she went to Louisiana State University on scholarship.
“The great thing was it was a totally competitive musical education and no debt,” Zabala said. “I had friends going to Juilliard and other great conservatories. But I came out of there raring to go.”
After graduating from LSU, Zabala received a Fulbright Scholarship to study for a year (1995-96) at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
That was an instance, along with opera, where her capacity for languages came in handy.
Zabala said she can speak three or four languages well, and five — English, Spanish, German, Italian and French — “adequately.” She can also sing in Portuguese, Russian and Latin.
For Zabala, whose fiancé is from Paris, after music, languages are most important to her professionally .
“I want to be able to participate as fully as possible in the cultures, so that life on the road isn’t life on hold,” Zabala said.
She received her master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music.
After that, Zabala said she hit the “young artists circuit,” which basically means the performer is an apprentice for an opera company. In that fashion, she spent two years in Minneapolis with the Minnesota Opera and another year with the Seattle Opera.
She then signed on with her first manager in New York City.
Ironically, though she’s now based in New York City, she spends most of her time on the road, but is able to visit family here more often than before simply because she is traveling constantly.
“My normal thing is my time in Lake Jackson is completely separate from my regular life,” Zabala said.
Today’s S.T.A.R.S. appearance will bring both worlds together.
“I was aware of the series. Phillip Kloeckner asked me and I said, ‘Absolutely.’ It seemed like a good opportunity to do a nice eclectic recital after so many years gone. We found the right window.”
Zabala is booked well into 2007.
“Honestly, it’s like you’re flying,” Zabala said. “Nobody is telling you, you can’t do this you can’t do that. Everything is new and everything’s an adventure.
“There’s nothing better in the world. This is what I dreamed of. There’s not a moment where I don’t feel so lucky to have been where I was and am now.”
While she’s seen others sign Met contracts or blaze across the professional sky, Zabala said she’s glad she’s charted the course she has.
“To me, this is really key — in opera, I’ve never had any type of meteoric moment,” Zabala said. “What I’ve had is a steady climb from each experience, job and opportunity. So the next thing is naturally more challenging and more high-profile. That’s a healthy way to have a long career. I stayed on the train and kept working, doing what I love to do and I’m reaping the benefits of that.”
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On the Web
• The Web site for New York City-based mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala features audio selections from her performances, as well as a bio, resumé and numerous pictures. Visit www.adrianazabala.com.
• Other Web sites of interest related to Zabala are those of the Southeastern Festival of Song, of which Zabala is co-artistic director, and that of her managing agency. She also cites making six appearances at the New York Festival of Song as one of her career highlights. Visit www.sefos.org, www.mirshakartists.com and www.nyfos.org.
• Phillip Kloeckner is a music educator at Rice University, and is coordinator of the United Nations Association International Choir, as well as director of the S.T.A.R.S. series for St. Timothy’s. Visit www.unahouston.org/unachoir and www.rice.edu.
Glenn Krampota is features editor of The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0159.
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