Meet "Misa Criolla" Soloist Claudia Landivar

Claudia Landivar, mezzo-soprano

Claudia Landivar, mezzo-soprano, is one of our soloists in the upcoming December performances of Ariel Ramirez’ lively Misa Criolla, a folk mass in Spanish that features traditional melodies and percussion. Claudia recently told us about her personal connection to this work.

A San Francisco native, Claudia grew up listening to the music of the Americas. While neither her Colombian mother nor Bolivian father was a musician, music infused with folkloric traditions was always around and is among her most joyful childhood memories.

“When I heard Ramirez’s music for the first time, it sounded so familiar to me. In that part of the world, it is normal to infuse all contemporary music - whether it’s classical or pop - with elements of the folkloric traditions. The music then has the power to cross generations – it’s a throughline that connects it across time. You don’t really get that in U.S. music.”

Claudia has always been musical. She recalled, “My first musical performance was at the Holy Family day home in the Mission. I was about 5 years old and played blocks at a holiday event. Throughout my childhood, I would make my cousin put on shows for my parents, and we charged them real money to watch!”

Claudia’s first holiday concert at Holy Family day home in the San Francisco Mission District.

Claudia earned her bachelors of music degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Texas. She then came home to SF, looking for a way to continue her musical life. She met Juan Pedro Gaffney, founder of Coro Hispano, who invited her to join the group. “In early 2000s, I performed Misa Criolla with them and just fell in love with it. Years later, I got to perform it again as a soloist - with Ash conducting! - at the Cathedral of St. Mary’s of the Assumption where we both were involved in the music program.”

Claudia is excited to join PEV for these performances and share the solo stand with tenor Isaac Perez.