TERESITA GÓMEZ has dedicated her life to music, to the piano. This month she turned 80, 74 of them playing the instrument that has established her as a cultural legend. Her virtuosity on the classical piano and in music has somehow allowed her to elevate Colombian music to the highest level.
Today she is performing at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo accompanied by the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 4” and thus celebrate her eight decades of life and Afro-Colombianity Day.
Gómez took a break from her rehearsals to talk to EL NUEVO SIGLO about her career, her challenges and the projects that, according to her, she still has to accomplish: “There are still many concerts coming up, as long as I’m alive I’ll keep playing the piano.”
THE NEW CENTURY: What is the secret to reach 80 years and have that energy?
TERESITA GOMEZ: Turning 80 is very good, not everyone reaches this age and feels up to it. When you reach 40, 50, 60, 80, everyone imagines that they are going to die, but there are many things that start. I reached 80 and I feel with good energy, loving what I do, wanting to study more, do my best every day and reaching this age is very satisfying, because everything slows down, but with more pleasure. I think the secret is to have joy and not get stuck in problems, but evacuate them, what is not useful for our inner life must be removed. We women have very difficult moments and despite that we must have the joy and courage to move forward.
ENS: How do you prepare for the concert this Sunday at the Teatro Mayor?
TG: I am very happy to share the stage with the Women’s Philharmonic Orchestra, because it is a new experience. I said that they are like my granddaughters and they all have a lot of energy, they are very happy. We are going to give a concert for my 80th birthday and for Afro-Colombianity Day, it will be a wonderful show.
ENS: You, How have you seen the issue of Afro-Colombianity, do you think progress has been made in ending racial discrimination?
TG: Yes, I think there has been progress, because I was born in 1943 and it hit me really hard, at that time racism was very strong and I lived it in my profession. Back then, playing the piano was only for white-skinned people, so I felt discriminated against, but I think that’s something that has happened to all blacks, without exception. But over time in Colombia we have advanced
ENS: How did you overcome all those obstacles and become one of the great cultural figures of Colombia?
TG: I think music helped me, because it freed me when the hardest moments of my life came. When you can’t do anything, things get out of hand, you just have to keep going, know that when things don’t work out, you just have to insist a little, not lose hope. For example, when I wanted to go to Europe to study it was not possible, but later I managed to go, I was able to study with some good teachers, maybe a little late, but I did it. When you achieve something, you feel a great satisfaction.
ENS: How many rehearsal hours do you spend a day?
TG: About four hours a day studying. I don’t get tired, before I spent more time, but now it’s a little less because the piano is like a sport and you have to take breaks.
ENS: Have you considered retiring from the stage?
TG: This is not the time to retire from music, I will continue playing the piano until my memory works well. You have to know when it’s time, I think I could have five years left, six… seven, eight, I don’t know. I still feel very alive to continue playing the piano, because we blacks are very vital.
ENS: Throughout your career, what has been the experience that has marked you the most?
TG: The adoptive parents I had, they gave me a lot of love where I lived, which was the Palace of Fine Arts in Medellín, because I didn’t have any friends my age, but I had them and the theater and ballet, all of that nourished me and He gave me a lot of strength to continue and get to where I have arrived.
ENS: If you were not a pianist, what other profession would you have liked to practice?
TG: Designer, I really like design, I wanted to be a dressmaker, that had caught my attention since I was a child, it is a very beautiful profession.
ENS: ¿What meaning does the piano have for you?
TG: The piano, like music, has been the backbone of my life, through it I have been able to evolve and look at life from another point of view. It has allowed me to get ahead without looking at the negative, but to focus on the positive things.
ENS: In your entire career, what has been the best teaching you have had?
TG: I am aware that the ‘fumes’ do not rise to the head, we must not lose humility. Today people believe they are above everyone else to earn more money and that is not the case, one should not let the smoke rise, but rather keep calm.
ENS: After the presentation at the Teatro Mayor, what other participation do you have planned for this year?
TG: I have to go to a concert in Vienna (Austria) and then I return to Colombia, in September, for a presentation at the Luis Ángel Arango Library. I will also do some concerts in Medellín and then I have to go to Brussels (Belgium). I have a very busy national and international schedule, but with great encouragement to fulfill them all.
ENS: What do you think has been your greatest contribution to Colombian culture?
TG: Take our music to different stages of the world. All those applause and recognitions go to Colombia. Through music they know about our country, beyond the awards and decorations.
ENS: What message would you give to young people who are rising up in the artistic world?
TG: That they take advantage of this great opportunity to make music, that they love it, that they carry it like a treasure and that they study hard with patience.
BOX:
more from the artist
Teresita has participated in works such as: Bogotá Quintet, Frank Preuss Trio, Colombian Conjunto de Música Contemporánea, pianist of the Medellín Opera, pianist of the Colombian Opera, pianist of the Bach Festivals in Bogotá and Medellín, pianist of the Music Festival Religious from Popayán, member of the Jeleniej Górze Symphony Orchestra (Poland), among others.