In this Hispanic Heritage Month essay, Dr. Wagner Mauricio Pástor, AGMA chorister and the new Voice Instructor at Lamar University, shares how his journey from Ecuador to the United States has deepened his artistic mission. He explores how hearing accents and languages sparks his curiosity about music as one of humanity’s most powerful storytelling tools. In his writing, Dr. Pástor emphasizes that challenges like immigration and cultural adaptation can ultimately transform artists into stronger, more generous human beings.
By Dr. Wagner Mauricio Pástor, Chorister
Each time I hear another language or accent—from Cuba, Argentina, Italy, or the mountains and coast of my homeland, Ecuador—my ears become curious. I want to understand what shapes each voice, what stories live within its sound, and how wonderful it is that we can learn from one another through music.
Moving from Ecuador to the United States has given me an even deeper respect for those who recognize their gifts, nurture them, and share them with the world. Music is one of humanity’s most powerful expressions. Its origins can be found in something as simple and profound as a mother singing to her child, or in communities drumming together to celebrate another season of harvest. Across cultures and generations, we have always used our voices and our music to tell our stories, express our hopes, and connect with one another.
As I enter a new stage in my career and begin my work at Lamar University this fall as Voice Instructor, my mission as an artist and teacher continues to deepen. I want to become a better artist so that I can help my students discover their own inner strength through their voices. This commitment encourages me to remain a student myself—to continue taking lessons, working with coaches, auditioning, and seeking opportunities to grow in an artistic environment filled with possibility.
As artists, we must learn to see beyond the obstacles of language, culture, immigration, and circumstance. These challenges can become opportunities to grow into stronger human beings and, consequently, more sensitive and generous artists. An unfamiliar language can become an invitation to learn. A different culture can become an opportunity to listen. An immigrant’s story can remind us of the courage required to leave everything familiar behind in pursuit of a dream. And our roots can become a source of strength rather than something we leave behind.
My Ecuadorian roots continue to fuel every breath I take as an artist. With each breath, air becomes sound; sound becomes melody; and melody becomes a way of sharing who we are. Whether performing opera and art song on a professional stage, standing before an audience at the Metropolitan Opera, or singing for high school students who may see an immigrant artist and recognize in that story a possibility for their own future, I hope my journey can serve as an inspiration. Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of being an artist: to transform our experiences, our cultures, our languages, and even our obstacles into something that can reach another human being.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, I celebrate the many voices that make our artistic community richer. I celebrate my Ecuadorian heritage, the cultures that have welcomed me, the artists who have inspired me, and the students who remind me every day why we continue to sing. We breathe in our dreams, and we deliver them through our songs. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!