Meet Gerardo Jose Ortega | Tenor, Conductor, Composer, Voice Teacher, and Storyteller

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gerardo Jose Ortega and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gerardo Jose, how do you define success?
Success is relative. Of course, success could be fame and recognition for what you do but I’ve learned recently to set my sights on small things that help you win in big ways- for me, especially recently, success is when your craft, your personal fulfillment and artistic integrity are in alignment. I am fulfilled by being a performer, a teacher in the arts, a composer, and a story teller.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My name is Gerardo Jose Ortega, and I’m a tenor based in Miami, Florida. I dedicated my life to the study of the voice and began singing at a very young age. I first attended the opera with my stepmother’s father, Prospero Mesa, who was the closest person I had to a living grandfather. I attended Verdi’s La Travita and was completely overcome with admiration for the singing, the costumes, and the story. When you attend an opera, translations are shared over the proscenium, called “superscripts.” I read the translation as Violetta sang, “Brought to life by love, I’ve forgotten all that is past,” and that was the moment everything changed for me. The pure poetry of the libretto stole my heart, and I knew I wanted to sing like that and dedicate my life to it.

I started my studies at Loyola University New Orleans after years of private voice lessons; however, Hurricane Katrina completely interrupted my plans. I ended up, kicking and screaming, coming to Miami. While it felt like I was exiled from everything I knew without any say in the matter, it turned out to be the best thing that happened to me.

I made many mistakes and took a lot of sordid turns on my journey, but I eventually found myself on the right path to pursuing a career in the arts, thanks to my voice teacher (and part-time therapist), Manny Perez. Simultaneously, the universe conspired to bring me beautiful, curious people who wanted voice lessons and also regular work at FUMC Miami as a soloist. Manny helped me understand my voice and the voices of others in ways I never could before. Something truly clicked; my students were growing and achieving their own success. At FUMC Miami, I found a church community that genuinely “walked the walk” and did so much for the local unhoused community. I was so moved by their efforts that I wanted to be a part of the church. FUMC Miami’s belief in and support of me helped me grow spiritually and artistically. Eventually, I started the Downtowner Concert Series, dedicated to artists like myself trying to find a safe space to work on their new repertoire, techniques, and secure recordings and photography. Eleven years later, the Downtowner Concert Series has raised thousands of dollars for the local unhoused and for organizations like the Wounded Warrior Project, UM Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, the Alzheimer’s Association of America, and many more. I learned early in life that the arts can heal—not only the audience but the artists, too—and I dedicated the concert series to those efforts several times a year. Who knew I would become the Artistic Director of my own series? I initially just set out to sing. Eventually, I became the Music Director for FUMC Miami and have the privilege of directing two musicals a year. How lucky I was to be encouraged to grow my skill set in such a wonderful place!

In my performing career, I learned to sing well enough to secure plenty of work with organizations I once coveted. I still eagerly pursue my work as a classical soloist, but I have become a bit jaded with the industry. The arts remain as beautiful as ever, but I learned quickly that work in the arts is riddled with politics and egos that are difficult to navigate. The treatment of artists in some places is unfortunate and hard to police— I’m so grateful for the organizations that are in pursuit of high art without compromising respect to all artists. Because of those organizations, I push through it because I get to do what I love. (Shout out to Elaine Rinaldi and Orchestra Miami.)

Over the years, since my early teens, I have been composing music in a pop song/musical theater style, along with poetry. Literally hundreds of compositions have accumulated over the years that I wouldn’t dare share because I considered myself a performer, not a creator, right? One piece I wrote, *Jochebed: Faith and Fear,* tells the story of the moment Moses’ mother, Jochebed, chose to leave baby Moses in a basket, trusting God. I submitted sketches of this piece and several recordings of my performances and work in the arts in a grant application to the Department of Cultural Affairs, and I am proud to be a two-time winner of the Miami Individual Artist Award. This new season of my artistic pursuits—my third act, if you will—is to finally let my creative spirit pour over the mold and to embrace myself as the poet and composer I also am! I’ve now drafted a concept for a classical art song cycle and released a few of my original pop/MT compositions on streaming platforms under the nom de plume “Romantique.” I am also embarking on publishing my first book of poetry and a children’s book. It took years to realize that I’m so much more than just one thing, and I hope to demonstrate that to my students by leading by example.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Easy! I’m actually REALLY good at this:

Walk up and down Calle Ocho preferably on on the Viernes Culturales! You have to eat every pastelito and drink every colada until you go into a diabetic coma or cardiac arrest, obviously. Dance your heart out at Ball and Chain and before or after, (or both), get the Abuela Maria Ice Cream at Azucar!

Get some rays at Bill Baggs Park and instagram your face off by lighthouse and then at the Wynwood Walls all day! Check out the open market and support local artists by buying artisanal goods. You have to get Morelia’s Paletas to have your life changed for the better.

Check out the Freedom Tower, the Frost, and the PAMM, highly recommend a drink outdoor to enjoy the views.

Attend at least one event by Miami Poetry Club, either an open mic or a poetry playground, I firmly believe everyone is a repressed creative one way or another 😉

Enjoy the most delicious meal at my favorite place on the planet, À la folie café on Espanola Way- after taking in the glory that is that street, a little oasis of food on South Beach.

Live jazz at Lagniappe! Eat. All. The. Cheese.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank and recognize teachers in the arts everywhere. They’ve saved my life time and time again, and now I carry their torch in the ranks of educating more performers. It is my ultimate goal to be a disciple of the arts and keep them alive in the hearts of the youth, the same way my teachers did for me and gifted me a life line when the world felt dark. I would also like to thank First United Methodist Church of Miami, who took me in as a soloist 15 years ago and helped shape me into the Music Director and artist I am today.

Website: https://Www.gerardojose.com

Instagram: @tenortantrum

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/acRzoTjXSdVTbLbW/?mibextid=JRoKGi

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@gerardojose3?si=_mTZSYJBAdijEVIJ

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6JQ0WpXF9Vk4BUU4wX6fxy?si=yQt98v22RKG2Xy3iYpnKLg

Apple Music:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/romantique/1755116847

Image Credits
Dylan Tran, Michael Todd, Angelica Perez, Kristen Pulido