by Marianna Levine
Luis Murillo, a 16-year-old Pierson High School student, may be the youngest member of the Choral Society of the Hamptons, yet his voice already has the warmth and maturity of a more experienced singer. Murillo is eager to point out that he has come a long way vocally since arriving in Sag Harbor from his native Costa Rico just three years ago. There was a time, he smiles, when, “I was almost tone deaf. I couldn’t match pitch.”
When Murillo arrived with his mother Lydia in 2005, he could barely speak English, since then he has not only worked hard on developing his singing voice but also speaks an almost perfect English.
“I was in ESL classes in eighth and ninth grades, but then I tested out after two years.”
Murillo adds that it is fairly unusual to test out of ESL in two years, but he is clearly a hard working and determined young man. He explains that he has been interested in the stage and performance since childhood, but as a child in Costa Rica he failed the exam to go to the music school, La Sinfonica which almost stymied his career.
“From the second or third grade on I wanted to sing or play an instrument,” says Luis. “I’d look at a stage and emotionally it felt like home, but as a child I was quite hyper active, and I was always yelled at in my music prep classes. But it didn’t stop me from singing. I used to watch Bugs Bunny cartoons and copy the pieces of classical music the characters would sing.”
He explains that his school in Costa Rica just didn’t have any musical or creative enrichment programs like Pierson has here. You either were accepted at La Sinfonica or you’d have to be content with the curriculum at the regular school.
“The musical world is always very present here,” he says. ‘At school here they have talent shows, musicals, and chorus.”
Murillo explains that his singing career started when Pierson’s choral teacher caught him singing to himself in the school hallway. She proceeded to invite him to participate in the school’s chorus, and from then on several opportunities presented themselves to him, which eventual led him to receive The Playhouse’s Elizabeth Brockman Promise Award in 2008 as well as his current participation in the Choral Society of the Hamptons.
Murillo prefers to focus the conversation on all the teachers and people who have helped him rather than on his own hard work and achievement, but the truth is he has had to work hard at part time jobs to be able to afford the vocal classes he needs to further his career.
Murillo explains that his mother, who supports his love of music even if she doesn’t fully understand it, is currently sending three daughters to college in Costa Rica. He does add that his first vocal teacher Ute Rose, as well as Pierson’s current choral teacher Suzanne Nicoletti, Jane Ross, and The Playhouse’s Myra Banks have helped or are helping him to pay for private vocal classes. This summer he will be taking classes with opera singer Robert White at Juilliard.
Opera really is Murillo’s hobby and passion. It started with a DVD of ‘Phantom of the Opera,” but has since morphed into a serious admiration for Verdi. Murillo saves money all year to buy Met Opera tickets as well the Jitney fare into the city. He relates that Opera really appeals to him because, “I love moving while singing. I like to feel the music.”
In the meantime, singing for the Hamptons Choral Society has been an amazing experience according to Murillo.
“There’s nothing like being in a group and singing for an audience,” he says. “You really get to practice what you’re learning. I’ve learned to blend my voice with others. It’s been a great opportunity for me to perform.”
The Choral Society of the Hamptons performs Brahms’ German Requiem this Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m. at the Old Whalers’ Church, 44 Union Street, Sag Harbor. Tickets are $30 and available by calling 725-2499.
Above: Luis Murillo
