Mexico's Three Tenors - May 2003 "News Release"
Beeville, Texas

Mexico's Three Tenors will perform Tuesday evening, May 6, at 7:30 pm at the Gertrude R. Jones Performing Arts Theater at Coastal Bend College as a special gift to the community from the Joe Barnhart Foundation, according to Kay Past, Beeville Concert Association president.

A concert like no other, this trio from South of the Border will perform well known tenor arias and popular Mexican pieces spanning generations and styles of Latin music to include bolero, ranchera and zarzuela. They shine brightest when sining famous masterpieces such as Besame Mucho, Solamente un Vez, Granada, Jurame and Porque. No other music can evoke the unbridled passion in performance that Latin music can.

Cesar Rodriguez and Ricardo Rodriguez from Monterrey and Manuel Acosta from Mexico City will be accompanied by pianist Eric Steinman from New York City.

The BCA was notified that the famous Mexican group was available for a concert through arrangements with the San Antonio Lyric Opera Company, which had cancelled a special Beeville performance of "Amahl and the Night Visitors" because of the San Antonio group's financial difficulties at that time.

Because this concert, in a sense, takes the place of the cancelled one, which was also to have been a gift from the Barnhart Foundation, the BCA will offer it free of charge to their 2002-2003 members.  As usual, it is also free to all students through high school age, and CBC students will be admitted with their student ID's.  Other adults will pay $6 at the door.

Cesar Rodriguez began his musical studies at the age of six, graduating from the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza in Monterrey with a degree in piano.  At the age of 17, he began to sing small operatic roles at Bellas Artes, later singing larger roles throughout Mexico.  He has performed the role of Almaviva in Barber of Seville in a tour throughout northern Mexico, and is a sought after concert performer and recitalist, performing in the largest cities of Mexico.

Ricardo Rodriguez also began studying at the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza in Monterrey, graduating with a degree in singing.  His professional debut came in 1991 with the National Opera Company on tour in Guanajuato, Mexico, also interpreting the role of Almaviva in Barber of Seville. He specializes in zarzuela and oratorio, producing as well as taking starring roles in the theater Foro Pro Cultura in Monterrey.

Manuel Acosta has received acclamations for his warm and captivating voice. He made his debut in the National Theatre of Fine Arts (Bellas Artes) in Mexico City singing the role of the messenger in Aida.  In Europe, he performed at Wiesbadener Theater as Gaston in La Traviata and in several other tenor roles.  An accomplished oratorio vocalist, Acosta has also performed the solos in Beethoven's Ninth, Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Coronation Mass, and Orff's Carmina Burana.  In 1998, he recorded for Dishey's Buena Vista Studios the remasterization in Spanish of the animated film Sleeping Beauty, doing the singing and spoken voice of the Prince.  In May 2001, he made his American debut as Rodolfo in the Natchez Opera Festival's production of La Boheme.

Accompanist Eric Steinman began his musical studies at the Julliard School at the age of 13.  His professional debut came as the conductor/pianist of the world premiere of The Four Note Opera by Tom Johnson at the legendary Cubiculo Theatre in Manhattan.  During his 17- year career as teacher at Somers Intermediate School, he produced a children's version of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibilungen which received national and international attention from the press.  After relocating to Monterrey, Mexico, Maestro Steinman became the pianist for the Ballet de Monterrey.  He was the founder and artistic director of Opera Metropolitana de Monterrey, giving hundreds of concerts in Mexico with the talented singers from the region, including Mexico's Three Tenors and several award winning Mexican sopranos.

"It is indeed a rare occasion for musicians of this caliber and fame to perform in Beeville," Mrs. Past said.  "We encourage the community to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to hear some of Mexico's most talented musicians."