Jovita Flores Fuentes (February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978) was a Filipina soprano singer.
Background
She was born in Capiz (now
Roxas City
Roxas City, officially the City of Roxas (Capiznon language, Capiznon/ hil, Dakbanwa sang Roxas; fil, Lungsod ng Roxas), is a 3rd class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippi ...
) to a well-off couple named Canuto and Dolores Fuentes. At an early age, she displayed interest in music, learning the contemporary songs at that time.
In 1917, she took up college at the
University of the Philippines
The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 200 ...
Conservatory of Music. In order to hone her skills further she pursued her studies abroad, going to Italy. In 1925, Fuentes made her debut as Cio-Cio-San in
Puccini
Giacomo Puccini (Lucca, 22 December 1858Bruxelles, 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he was descended from a long lin ...
's ''
Madame Butterfly
''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.
It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...
'', at the Teatro Municipale de
Piacenza
Piacenza (; egl, label= Piacentino, Piaṡëinsa ; ) is a city and in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, and the capital of the eponymous province. As of 2022, Piacenza is the ninth largest city in the region by population, with over ...
, another of her notable roles were of Mimi in ''
La bohème
''La bohème'' (; ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions ''quadri'', ''tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe G ...
'',
Pietro Mascagni
Pietro Mascagni (7 December 1863 – 2 August 1945) was an Italian composer primarily known for his operas. His 1890 masterpiece ''Cavalleria rusticana'' caused one of the greatest sensations in opera history and single-handedly ushered in the ' ...
's ''
Iris
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional ent ...
'' and
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
' ''
Salome''.
She later became an instructor upon her return.
Due to her merits and contributions in her field, she was dubbed as ''The First Lady of Philippine Music'' and in 1976 she earned the title of becoming the first female national artist in music.
Death
On August 7, 1978, two years after she received the recognition, she died at the age of 83.
Awards and recognitions
* Presidential Medal of Merit (1958)
*
National Artist Award (1976)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentes, Jovita
Filipino sopranos
1895 births
1978 deaths
National Artists of the Philippines
People from Capiz
University of the Philippines alumni