We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Elena Altany and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria Elena, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m from San Francisco, California, born and raised. My parents love music and played everything from grand opera to mariachi rancheras to The Ohio Players to Green Day. Music was playing from before school through dinner time, and often later. It’s a practice I continue, and I love when my students put me on to music that’s new to me. I studied flamenco dance from age 11 to 21 with the incredible Yaelisa, which grew my musicianship enormously. We went to so many Bay Area musical events from other cultures, and I was outrageously lucky to have a conservatory-trained tenor and lifelong church music professional Othello Jefferson as a choir teacher at Lowell High School. Most people will tell you that my undergraduate years at Loyola University in post-Katrina New Orleans had a huge impact on me as a musician and person. I learned so much from singing in New Orleans Opera Chorus as an undergrad, from my first church job at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian. from being around The Monk Institute fellows and in the music clubs all over the city – shoutout to DJ Soul Sister, now on faculty at Tulane!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a classically-trained singer whose also performed in nearly every genre of music, from hip-hop background singer to gospel. I think what sets me apart as a singer is my fearlessness on stage – I’ve done a lot of crazy things, and directors know I’m game for almost anything. Im really proud of the thought and care I bring to each of my roles. As director Yuval Sharon says, I’m always going to come to the first rehearsal with my own opinions and ideas ready to go! I decided to choose a career in music when I was a teenager because I had undiagnosed depression and anxiety, and singing in choir every day was the only time I felt OK. When I came to that realization, I applied to music schools and went from there.
I decided to work only as a musician, teaching and singing, in 2015 after quitting a part-time day job where I was really unhappy. I was and am enormously privileged to have an established musician for a spouse, who understood the career demands and had already helped me build teaching connections.

My mom always instilled a very strong sense of professionalism in me and my sister from a young age, so as a singer I’ve always tried to be super prepared, rarely late, eager to work, and open to feedback. As Ive developed, I care more and more about my relationship with my colleagues and students. I try to ask my students for their input, and make sure they know I prioritize their comfort and safety to be open and vulnerable with me – the relationship just doesn’t work, otherwise.
I used to have a blog called “The Good Colleague,” which I only wrote a few posts for, as I’ve always been terribly inconsistent on social media. To me, I’m successful if I have the real trust of my students and colleagues, as a professional and a person. I honestly never wanted to be famous, or travel the world, or make a lot of money. I’ve always just wanted to work as a musician, and be respected, trusted and relied upon by other musicians and colleagues. If I have that, and my students feel safe enough to take risks and push themselves with my help, then I feel successful.

Right now I’m trying to instill all of my work with curiosity, compassion and integrity. In a field where I’m always questioning myself and my choices, those three principles help me find clarity and the sense that I’m controlling what I can. My relationships really sustain me, and because of my mental health struggles I’ve learned the importance of time with family, friends, and loved ones. I tend to isolate when I’m feeling overwhelmed or anxious, so it’s something I’m constantly working on. Since having a kid gaining the luxury of teaching from home, my partner and I are constantly asking, “is this gig worth the time away?”. It’s a very helpful exercise!
Being a musician is always precarious, and not always sustainable full time. Right now I just want to keep performing in projects that interest me and have something real to say, and to keep gaining more knowledge and experience to share with my students. My teacher Claudine Carlson is in her 80’s and still has deep relationships with colleagues and students, whom she still sees on her own terms. She’s my model for a life in music.

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.
I have actually done this numerous times, and it’s always different! However, I usually end up at Echo Park lake to visit the fruteros and eloteros, especially at sunset when it’s always beautiful.

There always has to be a meal or two at Guelaguetza in Koreatown and Guisados in Echo Park. They’re both favorites and great examples of the huge variety within Mexican cuisine, which a lot of out-of-towners don’t realize.

To show off the beaches I often take friends to Moonshadows in Malibu for cocktails on the deck, and the Getty Villa just for the beauty.

A fun bar to take guests to is Perch in downtown LA, for the view and the scene, of course. I used to live in Silverlake, so my favorite brunch is still Little Dom’s in Los Feliz.

There’s always something interesting being performed at The Music Center downtown, and of course Disney Hall is an attraction in of itself. I love to show folks the hidden rose fountain made of porcelain chips. And shout-out to my colleague Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, the new Artistic Director of the LA LGBT Cultural Center in Hollywood! Can’t wait to see what exciting and beautiful programs he’s going to put on.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my beloved colleague, operatic and R&B tenor Ashley Faatoalia!! We call each other family, and he’s been there for some of the foremost moments of my career, from singing with me to cheering in the audience. I’m always in awe of his enormous range of skills as a musician, and no one makes me laugh in rehearsal like he does! He’s incredible, I’m so lucky to be in community with him, and he deserves all the recognition and success in the world.

Website: mariaelenaaltany.com

Instagram: @mealtany

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/maria-elena-altany-voice-studio-long-beach

Image Credits
Andrew Delman, Taso Papadakis, Ben Gibbs, Sarah M Golonka, Angie Smith

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