An Evening For Angeloo
La Catrina Cantina is hopping these days with free, live entertainment, freezing cold air conditioning, delightful wait staff, fabulous popcorn (easily the best in Vallarta), a good, reasonably priced menu, and even a big covered terrace for those who still smoke. It is the most welcoming atmosphere in Vallarta, where you will find lots of your friends being cool.
I went last night to catch the tail end of Gloria Fiona’s weekly show (every Wednesday at 5 pm), and had the pleasure of joining Kevin Feltner from Vallarta Calendar (that you need to check daily to decide where to go and when to brave the rain or feed your FOMO).
Immediately following Gloria’s show was a fundraiser for Angeloo, whom I have not seen onstage since early summer. Since then, Angeloo entered Voz de Zapopan Niños y Niñas, Third Edition, just outside of Guadalajara. The first two contests had over 6,000 (!!) participating kids from 5 to 17 years old from throughout the state of Jalisco.
And Angeloo is a finalist this year.
The funds Angeloo made last night – that included 20% of sales during the hour Angeloo sang his heart out, donated by La CC owner, Juan Alvarado, will go to pay for transportation on the bus for Angeloo and his dad, Oscar Corral. Also, there are hotel stays, costumes to buy, food, and other expenses.
While winning this event would be the best, just the fact that he is a finalist is another step in the future career of this 12-year-old singer from Vallarta.
Angeloo’s stage presence has grown leaps and bounds since I last had the pleasure. Gone are the fidgets of a young, nervous boy, replaced by almost constant but thought-out movements.
Angeloo sings comfortably in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and Korean, and I am likely forgetting a couple of languages. His extraordinary rendition of Diva Dance from the 1997 movie The Fifth Element, is written in such a high register, the song has been deemed ”impossible for the human voice to sing.” But there is Angeloo, at 12, nailing the bel canto notes.
Another remarkable example is Mozart’s most famous aria, “Der Holle Rache” from The Magic Flute. The words fly out of Angeloo’s mouth like tiny birds reaching for the sky. No effort whatsoever or none that is apparent at any rate. He is just as comfortable singing Ozzie Osborn.
From winning the Third Edition of the So you think you can RISE? talent competition last year, here in Vallarta, to competing in Zapopan in 2025, Angeloo’s future will revolve around music in one way or another.
The finals for La Voz de Zapopan Niñas y Niños will be held on September 27. Stay tuned for those details: A watch party would be fun!
I am back at La Catrina Cantina tonight for another triumphant return concert by Francesca Bavaro, aka Effie Passero. Of course, it will be sold out; it is what she does. Francesca loves to be close to her audience, but she rarely gets the chance to do so while touring the world. It will be lovely to hug my Birthday Sister again (November 9th, if you are keeping track.)