Singer Laura Agüero at her Salem home on Friday, July 10. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem resident Laura Agüero was all ready to go to Mexico and sing.
Her trip was backed by a $1,459 grant from the Oregon Arts Commission, allowing her to perform as a guest with the Orquesta Universitaria de Musical Popular in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
Agüero was the only Salem resident to win a grant in the latest round of state awards to support performers and the arts.
Now, she has to wait. With Covid in place, the concert was canceled with the hope it can take place next spring.
But Agüero was long into the planning for her travel once she learned of the grant.
“I thought, ‘Wow! Somebody recognizes all the hard work you put in!’ It’s a great feeling,” she said.
Agüero planned to sing a concert of Broadway music as part of a cultural exchange.
“I was planning to perform ‘Till There Was You’ by Meredith Willson and ‘If I Were on the Stage’ from the operetta Kiss Me Again by Victor Herbert. There was the possibility of adding one or two more songs; we were still in discussions,” she said.
Agüero’s husband Héctor, associate professor of music at Willamette University, planned to take music students to Mexico and conduct them as his wife sang.
“This type of performance goes a long way toward giving my performing career credibility and also expands my network of professional artists,” she said.
Agüero booked her tickets and prepared for the concert, scheduled to take place on March 23. The couple also planned to take their children, ages 14 and 9.
Covid intervened, the show was postponed, and the orchestra gave her an open invitation to perform once restrictions lift. The deadline to use her state grant was extended.
But Covid had more in store for Agüero.
In March, she lost her job as the director of programs for the Oregon Symphony in Salem. The symphony canceled this season’s performances because of the pandemic.
But Agüero plans to keep working. She recently landed a job with 4word, a global nonprofit that supports and connects women in the workplace. She will be director of development beginning Aug. 1.
“I’m totally thankful, because it came at a time where I would be so worried if I didn’t have anything lined up,” she said.
Agüero said she’s never experienced such a difficult time for the arts.
“Everything for the arts is on hold. I think it’s sad, and I’m scared and worried that it won’t come back. The arts are always underfunded and under-supported anyway, and now there’s this devastating blow,” she said. “Will the government step up and show support? Will people step up and show support, and what will that look like?”
Agüero started her career in the arts with a degree in vocal performance from the School of Music at Texas Tech University. She met her husband while in school, and she launched her singing career in 2002.
“I traveled, and I was in artist residencies, and I was in operas all around the U.S.,” she said.
She is especially proud of her performance as Norina in Don Pasquale in 2003 for the Pine Mountain Music Festival Young Artist Program in Michigan.
But when her first child was born in 2011, her priorities shifted. Traveling for singing opportunities seemed problematic, as she wanted to be home with her family in Texas.
“I started staying at home more, just singing in Houston. I sang with the Houston Grand Opera Chorus and some local gigs, and I taught voice lessons,” she said. “I wanted to be home with my children and invest in their lives. They are my life’s work.”
Six years ago, Agüero and her husband moved to Salem when he received the Willamette University job.
She has put her voice to use throughout the community.
“I have sung as a featured soloist with Festival Chorale Oregon, Willamette Master Chorus, Willamette Valley Symphony, Willamette Pro Musica, Chemeketa Community College, and as a cantor at Queen of Peace Church. I have also sung several programs at various wineries and house concerts in our area,” she said.
“I still perform on the side because I need to do that, so I don’t go crazy,” she said. But singing opportunities are tough to come by due to Covid restrictions, she said. Shows are canceled, venues are closed, and invitations are rare.
She has auditioned for a role for a European production of “Phantom of the Opera.” She won’t hear if she landed a part until the fall, and if she is selected, she isn’t sure how touring will impact her family. She might have to travel through England, Ireland, and Wales, although tour dates and locations are in flux due to the pandemic.
She also hopes to head into the recording studio. In February 2020, she performed Robert Nelson’s Birds in This Woman with her husband conducting the orchestra at Willamette University. The live performance went well, she said, and she hoped to capture the performance in a recording so more people could hear this work.
“We wanted to record that, but how can we social distance the orchestra? We have a lot to figure out,” she said.
She said she will continue to look for ways to use her voice to enrich the community.
“I believe God blessed me with a talent, and it is my responsibility to be a good steward of that gift. That, along with finding it personally fulfilling to create music, are the reasons I do what I do,” she said.
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