EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new features this year: Voodoo Productions’ street theater will include roaming graffiti stilt walkers, contortionists and living master works of art. Salt Lake Acting Company will appear for the first time at the festival, offering a sample from its upcoming summer show, The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive. Urban Arts is offering its largest live graffiti mural installation, while a row of several other artists will be demonstrating their creative process in real time. For kids, as admission for those 12 and under will be free, there will be plenty of make-and-take art options in Frozen Spaces in the Art Yard. The City Library auditorium will be the home to the 22nd edition of the international Fear No Film program, with the strongest slate of narrative short films in the event’s history. Of course, dance, who wears the empress jewels in performing arts, will be represented by Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Echoing Spirit Dancers and, of course, the ever-popular 1520 Arts, at The Round. For tickets and more information, see the Utah Arts Festival website.
MV CALDERA (Festival Stage, June 22, 9:45 p.m.)
Many might be pleasantly surprised to hear that one of the most successful Latin American music stars in recent years is living here in Utah. MV Caldera, the Venezuelan songwriter, musician and producer with two Latin Grammy nominations as well as a five-time consecutive Pepsi award nominee, will close out the Festival Stage performances on Sunday, June 22, at 9:45 p.m.
Caldera has come far from her days in Venezuela, where she took second place honors in what was the country’s most popular reality talent show, Camino a la fama. In 2013, after she publicly criticized the repressive political regime in her homeland, she came to the U.S. and settled quickly in New York City. Within a few years, she would take the stage with pop music stars including, among others, Christina Aguilera, Diana Ross, Marc Anthony, Rubén Blades, Gypsy Kings, Pedro Capó, Brenda K Star and Leo Dan. By the end of the 2010s, she was shortlisted for honors of artist and album of the year. Likewise, in 2022, her album Reencuentro was similarly recognized.
In an interview with The Utah Review, Caldera talked about her transition to the States and how her life in music started in her homeland. Remembering how strong the influence of Venezuelan music and its distinctive rhythms was in her family, Caldera said that she would take pots from the kitchen to play as percussion instruments. “My parents said, ‘See, Maria, she lives for the music,’” she added. Her parents would sing and play the piano and her uncles would play drums or the bass. Venezuela has historically been known for its outstanding systemic approach to music education and appreciation.
She fondly recalled how much her parents supported every interest she took up as a student, to make sure that her dreams could come true. These interests included sports such as volleyball and soccer. She tried out the first time in a middle school talent show.
Her musical skills flourished, as she became influenced by the gaita de furro (the quintessential music for Venezuelan holiday celebrations) as well as the music of groups like Cardenales del Éxito and Rincón Morales and the foundations of reggaeton and ska. She became proficient on piano, bass, percussion, congas and the ukulele. While many families are urging her classmates to pursue careers as doctors, lawyers or engineers, she was grateful for the support she received from her parents to pursue her lifelong love of music. Later, she earned a degree in music from the Cecilio Acosta Catholic University in Maracaibo (Venezuela) and a master’s degree in music from the University of Edinburgh. She also holds a degree in vocal coaching and sound engineering from LUSH Estudios in New York. Her repertoire expanded to many types of cumbia, salsa and merengue, for example.
In 2013, Caldera’s music career had mushroomed in momentum, with more than 20 concerts per month. However, her posts on Twitter criticizing the Nicolás Maduro regime led to the government forcing her concerts to be canceled. “I was very sad about leaving my family and the country where I had grown to live with its beautiful music,” she said. Eventually, she had set aside enough money to secure an artist visa and moved to New York City.
It wasn’t long before she crossed paths with some of the music industry’s most widely known names. “Ten years ago, in a concert. I saw a guy come in with a dog and when we finished, I asked the musicians who he was and they told me it was Quincy Jones,” Caldera said. Another memorable moment was watching Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler belting out a rock song in a New York subway. She has performed at venues around the world, including Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, Naciones Unidas, United Palace in New York City as well as Boston’s Gillette Stadium, along with broadcasts in Mexico for Zócalo de Puebla, TELEVISA, TV Azteca, Bromente TV, Telehit, MTV Mexico and Coca Cola Radio. She has performed in Houston, Phoenix, Miami as well as in Barcelona and Madrid in Spain.
Caldera said she is happy how her transition to Utah, with her wife (who is a professional chef) and their daughter, has worked to share her passion with music. She added that she enjoys festival settings for performing and her UAF show is just one in her summer tour as well as performances for the remainder of the year. Stops will include Arizona and Washington as well as Miami, New York and New Year’s Eve.