Following the celebration of Woman’s Week, the Institute of Musical Arts made an interesting conversation with music businesswomen in Puerto Rico.
By Integrated Communications
Composers, singers, musicians, organizers, entrepreneurs and workers within record companies, there is no doubt that regardless of the challenges that women in the music industry face, their role in this sector is decisive.
Therefore, with the mission of continuing to bring students closer to the real work space, the Institute of Musical Arts held the event Empresarias de la Música in the Teatro Experimental of Sagrado.
During the enjoyable activity, in charge of Profa. Melanie Cobb, participated Yaritza Zayas, Patricia Vázquez and Daniela Santos. A relevant fact of the panelists’ trajectory is that they have excelled in the area of music and entrepreneurship, combining their passions with other disciplines. This union has given them the opportunity to create original concepts that they have been able to use as a source of employment.
“I was in the United States and when I returned to Puerto Rico I needed a job but i couldn’t find anything that was for me. I wanted to sing, so I said I’m going to hire myself. We are going to do something different, we are going to take the opera out of the traditional theater, “said Yaritza Zayas, founder of the Opera Coquí company, where the value of being different and the importance of creating your own work spaces is highlighted.
During the colloquium several topics were presented such as the need to establish contacts and collaborations between colleagues from different disciplines. The importance of being persevering was also highlighted, even in situations such as the passage of hurricanes Irma and María in Puerto Rico, because “many times it is in these moments that the best projects come out,” Zayas added.
The guests highlighted the power of social networks to promote their businesses and the benefits of being self-taught especially with issues that are unknown. In addition, they urged students not to doubt their projects and not to think that these are very difficult or just too big to carry them out.
“One of the things I have learned the most is not to accept a No for an answer. If you want something you will find the way, the important thing is to overcome the phase that brings rejection and make a plan to continue. You can not sit idly by, you have to continue to achieve your goals, “added Daniela Santos to the audience, who with her proposal of Piano Móvil has taken her music to various communities in Puerto Rico.
The activity also promoted dialogue and discussion of different approaches, teamwork, the acceptance of varied visions and the importance of being receptive and flexible when developing your projects. “When I started with Apiacere we only participated in the religious part of weddings and little by little we expanded to the point that today we coordinate all the activity. We also do corporate events and let people choose their repertoire. We are open to this collaboration with clients and that has distinguished us from others, “said Patricia Vásquez, who, in addition to offering advice to students, spoke about the beginnings and challenges of her music event coordination company, Apiacere Music.
The event ended with an exchange of ideas between the guests and the students where they presented their concerns and points of view. “The most important thing is not to give up, it’s to go ahead and trust in the power of your ideas,” the businesswomen concluded.