A Collaboration Called Life American Composer Daniel Catán

by Stephanie Struyck Elgin

Drama. Romance. Tragedy and song. The performers, the scenery and the beautifully detailed costumes coupled with an orchestra or musical ensemble set in a grandiose opera house are some of the many defining images that come to mind when we think of the opera.  And then you have the mastermind behind it all-the composer. 
Over an iced latte, Daniel Catán, composer and College of the Canyons professor, took a moment to talk with me about his life, accomplishments and newest opera, Il Postino.
Born and raised in Mexico City, Daniel moved to England at the age of 14 to study music.  “I had met up with some teachers that came from the United States.  After a few years at the University of Sussex and Southampton, I moved to the U.S.  to attend Princeton.”  Daniel received his Ph.D. and eventually returned to Mexico City.  “After Princeton I wanted to become an opera composer.  I was writing music but wanted to work in the theater. I got a job at the opera house in 1977, at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City.  This was a wonderful and practical experience, allowing me to coordinate concerts and see everything from the inside-from putting operas together, to gathering singers, rehearsing and being part of the process.  It also gave me the chance to write my first opera and see it performed.”  
In the early 1990’s, Daniel met with a wonderful writer and poet Octavio Paz, and they began writing a libretto (the literary basis for writing an opera).  “I really developed a clear idea for what I wanted to do.  I was able to learn a great deal from my mistakes and from then on, I realized how important it was to craft a good libretto,” states Daniel.  “I collaborated with Nobel Prize recipient Octavio Paz and my opera Rappaccini’s Daughter, premiered in 1994 at San Diego Opera. It was a huge success.  After that, life became a little simpler.” 
Daniel’s second opera, Florencia en el Amazonas was an even greater success.  It premiered at the Houston Grand Opera in 1996 and is currently the most popular and successful opera the company has produced to date.  Just a few years later, Daniel won the Placido Domingo award, an award that recognizes his contribution to the world of opera. 
Daniel’s newest opera, Il Postino, will premiere on September 23 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.  “Placido Domingo will be in the cast and I am thrilled.  Il Postino was a popular film, but that was a while back.  I thought it was the perfect time to turn it into an opera.  The cast has been rehearsing quite a lot, and I am very excited for the premiere.”
Despite all the success that Daniel has in the world of opera, one of the major highlights of his career has been his role as a professor, teaching at the College of the Canyons.  “Teaching at COC has been one of the happiest periods of my life because it has provided me with a wonderful setting with colleagues and students and it has been exciting to be a part of the expansion of the music department.”   Daniel is a professor who teaches composition, fundamentals of music, music appreciation, music history and music for film.  “It’s a wonderful faculty and I’m lucky to be teaching at the school and working under Dr. Dianne Van Hook.  Santa Clarita is a great place to be.” 
For more information, visit www.laoperahouse.com.