Concerttante, 30 years in search of total art

Three decades ago, in 1995, tenor Jorge Taddeo decided to open a space where opera, dance, theater, visual arts, and literature could interact with vocal music.

Thus was born Concerttante , a company that from its first show " Concerttante Balletópera ", together with the choreographer Lucy Arce and the pianist Marita Zimmer , showed that its vocation was to challenge the boundaries of the stage. That debut, broadcast on television, included fragments of the opera " The Tales of Hoffmann " by Jacques Offenbach , which replaced the soprano of the original libretto with a ballet dancer and intertwined song cycles by Mompou , Ginastera and Schumann in an unprecedented multidisciplinary platform.

This combination of risk and artistic exploration would mark the hallmark of the group, which, 30 years later, celebrates its permanence with a career marked by the pursuit of total art and the conviction that it is possible to sustain highly complex productions even in a context of limited resources and institutional support.

So, from the very beginning, the company's hallmark was marked by experimentation . From that first experience, it was clear that the company wasn't interested in repeating familiar repertoires, but rather in transforming them through a dialogue between disciplines.

"That first Concerttante was a bit of a barrier-breaking experience for everyone. For me as a dancer, it meant confronting acting; for Jorge, as a tenor, it meant inhabiting stage movement and dance; and for Marita Zimmer, it meant exploring a different repertoire. It opened up a language that has continued to grow."

Lucy Arce

Co-founder of Concerttante

Zimmer, a German-born pianist with more than four decades of experience, agrees with that impression.

" For me, it was a new world. It wasn't just about playing well, but about making evident a musical gesture that was already there and, with this work, became visible. It was inspiring to discover other dimensions of performance ," the performer says.

Jorge Taddeo (top left to right), Lucy Arce, Marita Zimmer, and Alex Dessavre. (Below) José Carlos Pelayo, Jesús Hernández, Argelia García, Anna Sosa, and Samantha Robles.

Over the years, Concerttante has assembled a repertoire not usually seen on regular billboards. The 2012 production of " The Threepenny Opera ," based on the work by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, brought together more than 40 artists, including jazz and classical musicians, actors, dancers, and singers, at the Laboratorio de Artes Variedades. For actress Samantha Robles, who participated in that production, it was a formative experience.

"Going to a rehearsal with Concerttante was maddening; I'd never seen so many people working together. That's when I understood what it means to be a transdisciplinary actor: learning vocal technique with Jorge, dance with Lucy, and how to take ownership of the space. It was like my second school. And when we got to big stages or even perform in village kiosks, I understood that theater has to be able to engage with any audience."

Samantha Robles

Actress

Actors portraying their characters in the play "The Threepenny Opera," presented at the Variety Arts Laboratory in 2012.

Other titles also marked the group's history. In 2013, Harold Pinter's " Ashes to Ashes " had nearly 30 performances on the Central-West Circuit, representing Jalisco in regional forums.

A year later, at the Degollado Theater, " The Child and the Sorcery " by Maurice Ravel, brought together the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, with choreography by Lucy Arce and stage direction by Taddeo.

This production also opened a line of work focused on children's audiences, from which the Concerttante Pekes platform would emerge, which has participated in venues such as FIL Niños with works such as " The Night of the Witches ", inspired by the work of Ray Bradbury and " Maya and Professor Itzamná ", by Anna Sosa .

For Jesús Hernández , an actor who has participated in several projects such as " The Threepenny Opera ," the essential aspect has been this joint and multidisciplinary vision.

"I think Concerttante taught us this passion for showing total art with great dedication and enthusiasm. In these stage proposals, all the arts appear and manifest themselves in a joint relationship, and that has always seemed fascinating to me. Concerttante became a school for all of us because of everything we learned and continue to learn, from vocal technique, the wonders of dance, the power of the performing arts. In other words, there is a vision of art as a total entity, not separate," describes Hernández, a member of the National Theater Company.

Jesus Hernandez

Member of the National Theatre Company

In 2016, the company brought Peter Shaffer's " Amadeus " to the Degollado Theater, with sold-out seats and a cast led by Eduardo Villalpando as Salieri and Sam Robles as Mozart.

A year later, the same stage hosted Henrik Ibsen 's version of " Peer Gynt ," with music by Edvard Grieg , which brought together around 60 artists, including actors, musicians, and dancers. In 2019, the company's search for new platforms led it to film with the medium-length film Gynt: The Crossroads of Time , which won awards in India and was screened at festivals in Chicago and Venezuela, Taddeo recalls.

More recently, in co-production with the University of Guadalajara , " El Filósofo Declara " by Juan Villoro was staged, which for three seasons received awards for best actress and actor for Karina Hurtado and Eduardo Villalpando .

In the midst of the pandemic, the show " Asturiana " was revived, recorded in the Digital Room of the Performing Arts Ensemble and broadcast on virtual platforms, with dancer Argelia García , guitarist Eddie Lara and Taddeo as tenor and director.

"For me, Concerttante has been the backbone of my career as a dancer and as an artist. Being part of this company and being able to be around all these artists has allowed me to become the artist I am. The strength and resilience in the face of power and the situation of a country, a state, and a city that has seen very little in the way of culture, and in recent years, even less so under the banner of rampant ignorance, is very inspiring. In that context, it feels great to be part of a bunch of crazy people who keep doing what they want to do."

Argelia García

Ballerina

Scene from "The Philosopher Declares," by Juan Villoro, which Concerttante staged in collaboration with the University of Guadalajara.

Maintaining a cultural project of this magnitude for three decades has been a challenge. The artists interviewed agree that the lack of institutional support and scarce financial resources have forced the company to seek creative solutions.

Ana Sosa , producer and actress, also remembers that dynamic firsthand.

" We've worked on a limited budget for various shows. We've had to think of everything: costumes, freight, catering, social media, photos, and still maintain the level of Concerttante, because the artists and the audience deserve the best before, during, and after the performance. For me, it's been my school of production and life ," Sosa concludes.

Set designer José Carlos Pelayo adds: " At Concerttante, we learned to do a lot with a little. If there were 10 pesos, we had to use them to create the best possible image. The audience saw a solid result, but behind it there was a huge amount of research, reviewing hundreds of options before finalizing a production. That tension between the ephemeral and the imagined is what has marked me the most ."

For Taddeo , the mission has been clear from the start. Using local talent, he has sought to produce quality productions based on preparation and collective effort.

" Concerttante was never just my voice or that of a musician. We always sought to integrate everyone: dance, acting, visual arts, stage design, costumes. Total art is the only way to do it ," he says.

Jorge Taddeo and Lucy Arce.

For Concerttante, reaching these 30 years has been a reason to take stock and also to look toward the future.

On September 20th, at the Degollado Theater, the group brought together musicians, dancers, actors, and singers for a multidisciplinary gala that explored its most representative moments.

But the celebration doesn't end there. Concerttante also prepared the premiere of " Cosas Raras ," an original work by Guadalajara-born playwright Luis Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio , better known as Legom , winner of the Bellas Artes Award for Children's Plays in 2016.

"Strange Things" is a show that explores how the strange becomes part of the everyday . With dynamic language, the production seeks to connect with new generations, bringing to the table themes such as friendship, family, and self-discovery.

" Strangeness is part of who we are. This work speaks of accepting difference and learning to look at the unknown with different eyes ," Taddeo emphasizes.

The production premiered on October 4 and will have two more performances at the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco , on Saturdays, October 11 and 18, before traveling to Querétaro in 2026 as part of Legomfest.

" 'Strange Things' has that great comedy that takes you through difficult but necessary situations. I think it's incredibly important for children today to experience these kinds of emotions in the theater before they have to face them in real life ," explains Taddeo.

The cast includes Christopher Santiago , Alex Dessavre and Ana Sosa .

For Dessavre, joining the project on this anniversary has been a unique opportunity.

" It's impressive to be part of a project that's turning 30. Concerttante proves that it's possible to sustain a space like this in Guadalajara. And seeing how Jorge, Lucy, Ana, and the entire team work, I understand why: they leave nothing to chance, every detail is carefully considered ," the actor concludes.

Concerttante also prepared the premiere of "Cosas Raras", an original work by Guadalajara playwright Luis Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio.

The opening night for this season is at 7:00 PM on Saturdays, October 11th and 18th at the Experimental de Jalisco (Calzada Independencia s/n, almost at the corner of González Gallo). Tickets can be purchased at cosas-raras.boletia.com.

Photos : Yliana Domínguez and Archive.

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