Bubbly Cebuana from Brooklyn is Maria Clara in ‘Noli’ opera
Soprano Antoni Mendezona comes from a prominent Cebu family.
The soprano was rehearsing a coquettish love song by the corner piano of Loida Nicolas Lewis’ luxurious Manhattan home.
“That’s our Maria Clara,” proudly whispered Edwin Josue, a member of the Executive Committee that is producing “Noli Me Tangere, the Opera.”
We eyed her on the way to the formal dining room, Michael Dadap’s Maria Clara, based on Jose Rizal’s idealized Filipina mestiza from the end of the 19th century. She had lush auburn hair, this striking beauty with brown eyes, epitomizing the illegitimate woman in the novel whose father is a Spanish friar and who is torn between her faith and her love for a Filipino ‘indio.’
Her name is Antoni Mendezona. Born to one of Cebu’s prominent families — just like the Osmenas and the Cuencos — whose affluence derives from the food and retail business, Toni grew up in the Visayan province and came to the U.S. when she was 15. This talented actress-soprano now lives in Brooklyn. She has performed in numerous musicals and dramas across the city and got noticed by The New York Times in Thomas Pasatieri’s “The Hotel Casablanca.”
“Antoni Mendezona, a last-minute substitute as the hotel clerk Veronique, stole scenes with her pealing voice and bubbly personality,” says a review in the Times.
Toni and her sisters came to the U.S. in 1999 when she was 15 years old.
“(Our parents) wanted to give us more opportunity to pursue whatever it was our hearts desired,” she told The FilAm in an email interview. “Turns out, I desired to pursue music.”
Her parents were also singers – albeit untrained — and met in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” “They both sang in high school and college, and my dad dabbled in the guitar.”
Her mother was constantly urging her to take voice lessons, but she resisted and was quite happy learning the piano as a young girl. “I was a stubborn and rebellious child, I refused. Silly girl.”
In the U.S., she earned her undergraduate degree in Vocal Performance at California State University of Sacramento and received her very first voice lesson at the age of 18. She conceded, it was quite a late start for opera singers.
“I originally wanted to be a choir director, but after seeing my very first opera at the San Francisco Opera, I immediately fell in love with it (opera singing),” she said.
After her undergraduate degree and a year of working customer service at a swimming pool company, she decided to pursue her master’s degree at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.
“My mind was blown away by all the information about the classical voice and its rich history! I truly found my artistic voice at Westminster,” she said.
After grad school, she signed up with an agent in New York City. “As a young singer, I have to be here,” she said. She continues to work with excellent teachers and vocal coaches, despite dual degrees in voice.
She learned about the “Noli” opera from a friend. On learning she got an audition for the role of Maria Clara, Toni got hold of a copy and began to read Rizal’s historical novel. She said she never got to read the book, having departed the Philippines at an age when the literature classes were still at “Florante at Laura” level.
Singing at an intimate preview hosted by philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis. The FilAm photo
“I was familiar with the story and especially with Jose Rizal. We visited his home in Dapitan all the time growing up,” she said in her recollection.
The audition, conducted by music director Michael Dadap and stage director May Pamana, was oddly different from the typical opera auditions she’s been to. This is how Toni described the experience: “The Noli audition was different. At an opera audition, you’re typically there for 15 minutes tops. We were at the callbacks for an hour and some change. They had two groups of singers who did their auditions in front of each other. And the auditions did not start out with singing; they started out with theatre exercises with the stage director, May (Pamana). I’d done these exercises in the past but never at an audition. It was refreshing to have something different to do.”
The three-act opera tells the story of Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra as he returns to the Philippines from Europe and plans to wed his betrothed Maria Clara. His plans are thwarted by the influential Spanish friar, Padre Damaso.
There is a lot to be done while Toni awaits the full score. In the meantime, she continues to work on her vocal techniques and Tagalog accent. She said: “When I fully wrap my tongue and brain around the language and the music separately, it’s only then that I open my mouth and sing.”
“Noli Me Tangere” will be presented October 4,5 and 6 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College by the Foundation for Filipino Artists, Inc. National Artist Felipe Padilla de Leon composed the music with Guillermo Tolentino writing the libretto.
Thank you!
I read with great interest your article on my daughter Antoni Mendezona’s upcoming role in “Noli”. Antoni indeed grew up in a diverse environment not only socially but also environmentally, politically etc. You can find a more complete story of the Mendezona family in the book: “How Sweet The Mango, No?” available on Amazon.com/Books/Matthias Mendezona
I am interested to see this play Noli Me Tangere to see Antoni and the rest of the members. .
Where can we get info and tickets for October 4,5,6 dates? Thanks.
A P Ramos
[…] lives in Sacramento, California with his wife Mikey. They have four daughters. The youngest is Antoni Mendezona of Brooklyn, who played the role of Maria Clara in the New York premier of the Filipino opera […]
[…] lives in Sacramento, California with his wife Mikey. They have four daughters. The youngest is Antoni Mendezona of Brooklyn, who played the role of Maria Clara in the New York premier of the Filipino opera […]