Carmen Luisa Letelier Valdés is a Chilean

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

and voice teacher, the winner of the National Prize for Musical Arts in 2010.

Biography

Carmen Luisa Letelier is the daughter of composer and artist Margarita Valdés Subercaseaux. She and her brother were influenced by their parents to take an interest in music. She studied

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

in Spanish at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (''PUC or UC Chile'') ( es, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile) is one of the six Catholic Universities existing in the Chilean university system and one of the two pontifical universities i ...

, where she graduated as a teacher in 1967. In 1979 she obtained her title of superior interpreter in singing at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Chile. There she was a student of Lila Cerda, , , , and Hernán Wurth. She began her career as a teacher in 1969, at the Pontifical Catholic University's Institute of Music. After almost ten years, she moved to the Department of Music and Sonology at the University of Chile. In 1980 she was appointed a full professor at that university. Throughout her musical career, she has been linked to various institutions. In 1969 she joined the Ensemble of Ancient Music, a group created by

Sylvia Soublette Sylvia Soublette Asmussen (February 5, 1924 – January 29, 2020) was a Chilean composer, singer, choirmaster and educator. She won the 1964 Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Gold Medal, the 1997 Critics Award from the Valparaíso Art Critics Circle, the ...

and Juana Subercaseaux at the Pontifical Catholic University. She has also collaborated with the

Municipal Theatre of Santiago The Teatro Municipal, National Opera of Chile is the most important stage theatre and opera house in Santiago, Chile. History and overview The Chilean government ceded a significant parcel of land in downtown Santiago to the municipality, in 184 ...

, the Domingo Santa Cruz Cultural and Artistic Extension Center, and the Isidora Zegers Salon of the Faculty of the University of Chile. In September 2010, she won the Chilean National Prize for Musical Arts, becoming the third member of her family to do so. Her father won the National Art Prize (with a mention in music) in 1968, while her brother received the National Prize for Musical Arts in 2008. In December 2018 she succeeded Luis Merino Montero as president of the .

References

External links

Carmen Luisa Letelier Valdés
at the University of Chile {{DEFAULTSORT:Letelier, Carmen Luisa Chilean opera singers Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Operatic contraltos Pontifical Catholic University of Chile alumni Academic staff of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile University of Chile alumni Academic staff of the University of Chile Voice teachers Chilean music educators Chilean women music educators Year of birth missing (living people)