Revisiting Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

Meagan had the opportunity to don Sor Juana's habit again in a special symposium on February 26th celebrating Alicia Gaspar de Alba, co-librettist of the opera Juana. Alongside soprano Maria Valdes-Gomez and pianist Peter Walsh, Meagan sang selections from the beautiful opera by Gaspar de Alba and composer and co-librettist Carla Lucero. She had the honor of singing the title role in the work's premiere in 2019.

The full symposium was entitled “Otro Corazón 3: Queering Sor Juana.” It built on past symposia organized by Alicia Gaspar de Alba in her “Corazón” series and was offered as part of a year-long celebration of her 32-year academic career at UCLA, focusing on her lifetime of research and creative engagement with Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, the 17th-century Mexican nun/poet/scholar who is hailed all over the world as the “first feminist of the Americas” and the Mexican “Tenth Muse.”

From left: Composer and co-librettist Carla Lucero, costume designer Alexa Behm, soprano Maria Valdes-Gomez, mezzo-soprano Meagan Martin, pianist Peter Walsh, and co-librettist Alicia Gaspar de Alba

Meagan and soprano Maria Valdes-Gomez in costume at the symposium