Thank you so much to Yoandy Cabrera for interviewing me about my Hispanic background and how it relates to performing opera.
YC: Do you consider yourself a Cuban-American? How was your childhood in New Orleans and within a Cuban family? What does Cuba mean to you?
LO: I absolutely consider myself a Cuban-American. My household was Spanish speaking, we ate Cuban food and listened to Cuban music, and watched the Spanish channel. We had and still have a very close-knit relationship, and we all love music. It means a lot to me that my grandparents and father all left everything behind in Cuba to seek a better life for themselves and their families in the United States. I feel that I honor them in everything that I do. Cuba, even though I’ve never visited, is sort of the fantasy land that my mom remembers it to be, in my head. The beaches, the fruit, the breeze…all that sort of thing. However I know that Cuba has changed a LOT in 60 years since my family’s been gone, and so I really don’t know first-hand the present state it is in. I can only say that the importance of a homeland to an immigrant is still something that gets passed on, as America is a country built on immigration, and this is something to celebrate. By keeping my culture alive, I’m helping to add flavor to the melting pot that makes this country great.
