Interview by Eldee Eyimife, AGMA Communications Coordinator
In middle school, David Mejía landed in choir instead of art class because of a clerical error. This scheduling mix-up steered him toward a career in the performing arts. David grew up listening to Latino musicians like Selena and Juan Gabriel, alongside mariachi music, corridos, and Spanish ballads at quinceañeras, which built a strong musical foundation. His fondest memories of singing trace back to caroling at las posadas in winter with his grandparents in Brownsville, Texas. A traditional celebration in Mexican and Latin American cultures, las posadas reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey as they search for shelter before the birth of Jesus. “We would sing all night, worship, celebrate, and eat tamales and pozole, while the kids gathered, ready to smash a piñata,” David reminisced.
The formal training came later, and plenty of it. David has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, a master’s degree, and an artist diploma from Texas Christian University (TCU). Yet, the music he grew up with barely appeared in his education.
It was in his master’s program at TCU that he took matters into his own hands and began programming songs by Mexican opera composers and art songs by Latin artists, music his peers told him they hadn’t known existed. He says the field has made progress since then, pointing to the Metropolitan Opera 2023-24 season’s staging of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas as a milestone.
“When I entered academia and started learning Western music, I wondered where I fit in,” David noted. “ As an artist of color, sometimes we perform repertoire so far removed from our identity that when we get to perform music in our native languages or cultural traditions, we realize it’s few and far between. We need to cherish and advocate for those opportunities as much as we can.”
A major defining moment in his career occurred at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions. A teacher of his cautioned that judges wanted the familiar European repertoire and that he shouldn’t try to introduce anything new.
“I didn’t like that mindset, and the only way to change it was to stay true to myself. That year I went from placing fifth at my regional in Texas to winning first in the nation in the 2023 competition, performing ‘Júrame’ by María Grever, a piece that meant the most to me.”
David is also proud to set firsts for representation in opera as the first American and Mexican-American to sing the role of Valentino in Louise Bertin’s Fausto with Opera Neo as part of their 15th Season in San Diego. He hopes to continue to see Latin excellence thrive and debut roles that we artists all deserve to shine in.“I’m Hispanic, Mexican, a first-generation college graduate, and the first in my family to be a musician and pursue opera. I’m constantly exposing my family, and people within my culture, to something new. It’s a blessing I never take for granted,” he added.
David spent three years doing young artist work at Dallas Opera before he made his principal debut there as the Lamplighter in The Little Prince. He had been signed as a cover and stepped in on closing night after the hired tenor fell ill, with less than 48 hours to prepare. Days after the run ended, he also joined AGMA.
“The Union gives me the extra security of knowing that if I have any questions, there are resources in place to answer them and keep my career prospering,” he noted. “Now, whenever I’m applying to auditions, I happily and proudly click that union check box and say, ‘I am an AGMA artist now.’”
David is currently an artist at Shreveport Opera and continues to advocate for his culture and others.