Each week we will be sharing some fun stories and facts about our 2024 Schwab Vocal Rising Stars! Starting on March 11th, they will be rehearsing and living at Caramoor up until their performance on March 17th. We hope you will join us!
This week we are introduced to mezzo-soprano Sophia Baete!
Don’t bother sending Sophia Baete a “break-a-leg” text right before her recital. That’s because she will most likely be unplugged and lying on her back while hundreds of little spikes on her acupressure mat are coaxing her into her ritual 45-minute-long relaxation. And if her voice seems to exude an extra bit of clarity and vivacity, it might be due to her 20 minutes of alone time with a face steamer, a method she uses before every performance to soothe and prepare her vocal cords.
Thankfully, she has spent much of her life thus far training those moistened vocal cords to make beautiful music. But, had her life journey gone in a different direction, she thinks she would have pursued a career in law, using her voice — yet again! — to advocate for human rights. She shares the conviction of activist/author Angela Davis, who said: “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
When this mezzo-soprano is not studying or performing, she enjoys quality time in the sanctuary of her home. If she invites you there to share a take-out dinner with her, you’ll probably indulge in some delicious Cuban food, a solid choice for the gluten-free among us. Browsing her bookshelves, you’re likely to encounter volumes of poetry by contemporary American women, like Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton, and Adrienne Rich, those who “somehow put words to the ineffable journey that is life.” Perhaps the finest poets and singers alike can accomplish that feat.
As a vocal artist, Sophia — whose name in Greek fittingly means “woman of wisdom” — most appreciates the immense gift of being able to transport her audience to another dimension, where music can heal and uplift. “Realizing that I had the capacity to do that, or even just the idea that I could have a hand in that experience,” she says, “is the greatest honor of my life and the reason why I sing.” We look forward to her transporting us on March 17.
I love this article about you. I am so proud of you. Someday I hope to get to New York to see you in an opera. Love you sweet girl. Keep living your dream.