Meet Ivette Roman-Roberto | Experimental vocalist and community artist.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ivette Roman-Roberto and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ivette, why did you pursue a creative career?
For individual and collective reasons. It all began as a desperate need for an outlet for self-expression and individuality. The artwork is both the freedom of existing away from restrictions and the alternative space of inclusion within a society in which sometimes you feel you don’t belong. When you find the balance of those two components within yourself, then you begin to see opportunities to connect with like-minded people and be in support of others. And that is when you become a community artist. I was always an introvert with a very sensitive and passionate heart. It is difficult for me to expose my emotions. So I began to improvise with my voice to express those emotions with abstract sounds that helped me to release them without having to say a story with words. I kept the story in disguise from others covered with sounds made with my mouth. I found a safe way to express myself without judgment from others.

At that time I was not aware that there was an avant-garde music movement in which my then solitary compositions could fit. But when I went to college and began researching other ways of vocalizing I felt that this was something I could do professionally. In my late 20s, I took the risk of performing in front of an audience, and since then I’ve been active in the cultural scene as an experimental vocalist.

Today I do workshops and direct community performances in which people with or without previous musical background can improvise with their voices and compose sound pieces. The last project I directed was Réquiem, 2021, a voice improvisation laboratory with members of the Puerto Rican community in Houston TX who meet with me to reflect on the losses suffered after Hurricane Maria. The project culminated with a performance at MECA@TBH as part of their Performance Art Festival, sponsored by the National Performance Network.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

Voice improvisation is one of the most liberating and truthful forms of art. The message is direct without the interference of the ego, or the rational mind because it can only happen in the present moment. It is almost like a mystical experience because it belongs to the unconscious and intuitive intelligence. The time for judgment or self-reflection is very limited while improvising with your voice and there is no right or wrong. You connect with the audience in abstraction and emotion. The audience participates by giving meaning to their sounds, and each individual relates to the performance based on their own personal experience. As a performer, I feel this energy of connection that the audience gives me and this energy modifies my improvisation. So what happens is a circular interaction of give and take between my performance and the audience. The same happens when I improvise with other musicians. Their energy and sonority affect my improvisation and mine affects them. When I work with the community it is easy to transmit the concept of voice improvisation and soon we are able to compose pieces in the present moment without a long instruction about music techniques. As soon as the participants understand their vocal instruments, and the sound and listening concepts, the group begins to explore and grow in awareness every time we meet. We can express feelings, points of view, and concerns about what is going on in the community, through voice improvisation.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
For live free-improvisation music, Lawndale Arts Center on Mondays for the “They Who Sound” series curated by David Dove. When I want to listen to a band coming from Puerto Rico I go downtown to House of Blues with my son.
For Puerto Rican food in the center of Houston, I go to Tex Chick; from the menu, I recommend the traditional “mofongo” which is the Puerto Rican version of the Nigerian Fufu.
Miller Outdoors theater is still one of my favorite spots to appreciate classical music under the stars and wine.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The music organization Nameless Sound founded by David Dove gave me the opportunity to be known as a vocalist here in Houston, TX. I have collaborated with the organization since 2012, as a performer and facilitator of free music improvisation in at-risk communities. The unique academic technique they have developed is based on democratic practice that empowers the participants to own their music exploration. I am also grateful for the support that Alice Valdez of MECA/TBH has shown to the Puerto Rican community in Houston. And I want to express my very deep admiration for the members of the “Colectivo de grupos puertorriqueños de Houston”, PRHC (The Collective of Puerto Ricans in Houston) that since it’s initiation in 2019, is being working hard to join forces with other members of the community through advocacy and culture projects.

Website: https://ivetteromanroberto.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivette-roman-b370aa14/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2448022602185477

Other: https://soundcloud.com/ivette-roman-roberto?fbclid=IwAR2Z7hpgAvrhg_6Ax9f1J6en4Bk-b6YT3J_aVVUB90kpIewsvA2GjiBymGg

Image Credits
Trio photo was taken by George Shea at the event called “Acuerdo Libre” curated by David Dove at MECA. Photo was taken by Nicolás Carrión of members of the Collective of Puerto Ricans of Houston perfomig “Réquiem” at TBH.