12172: Social worker holds onto his opera singing goal (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sun, May. 26, 2002

Social worker holds onto his opera singing goal
BY MARC MATHIEU
Special to The Herald

Gibson Dorcé's fondest childhood memory is of a home with parents who shared
a love for music.

''My father was a music director and pianist at our church, and my mother
was in the choir. That exposure had a formative influence on me,'' said
Dorcé, the eldest of three children.

That influence could have led Dorcé to a career in music had it not been for
self-doubts that kept him from studying in New York City some 18 years ago
when his voice teacher began arrangements for him there.

He wishes now that he had taken that opportunity.

''If you don't believe in yourself when you stand in front of an audience,
your voice will betray you,'' he said. ``I know now I can compete with
anyone, but things were different back then.

Dorcé, 41, stayed in Miami and, although his music career stalled, he
continues to hope that his dream of performing as a full-time professional
with an opera company still will be realized.

His personal life unfolded more smoothly.

Nearly two decades ago, his then girlfriend's roommate, Jacqueline Pagán,
worked near him at the now demolished Jefferson Ward building on Biscayne
Boulevard and Northeast 15th Street. He occasionally gave her a ride home
and they would talk about their common interests: He sang; she played the
piano.

Gradually, Pagan replaced music -- and his girlfriend -- as Dorcé's first
love. The couple married in 1988 after a four-year courtship. He enrolled in
St. Thomas University and earned a bachelor's degree in public
administration in 1991, shortly before the first of their four children was
born.

Dorcé had now started a family and a career as a social worker, but he
continued pursuing music. He joined the Coral Gables Symphony & Opera in
1984 as an opera singer and, five years later, the Palm Beach Opera Chorus,
which he has since quit. In January 2001, he joined Peter Ludescher and Hugo
Marcos as a member of The Three Baritone and Friends, a group that performs
primarily in restaurants in Palm Beach County. Dorcé also sings on a
contract basis with opera productions, receiving between $150 and $200 for
each performance.

Last year marked a high point in his music aspirations, when he was named a
semifinalist in the 2001 Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition
in Washington D.C.

Bella Smith, artistic director and conductor of the Coral Gables Chamber
Symphony & Opera and Dorcé's friend and voice coach, said his potential has
not been fully realized.

''I feel Gibson has a voice that, with some training, will develop into its
fullest potential,'' she said. ``The more he performs, the greater his voice
will be. The door of opportunity could be open much wider.''

If Dorcé is not performing as much as he could, it's not for lack of trying.
He just doesn't have enough time, he said.

On most days, he gets out of bed at 6:30 a.m., helps his wife prepare their
children for school by 7, begins his commute from their Carol City home at
7:30, arrives at work by 8 and then counsels, advises and does
administrative work for eight hours as a case manager at the Hialeah Central
One-Stop Career Center. He returns home at 6 p.m. to settle the kids'
disputes, eat dinner, check homework, wipe tears and budget family finances.
Lights out for the children is 9:30; his rehearsals begin at 9:31.

''I have to take natural herbs keep me going,'' Dorcé said. ``I really want
to [perform musically] in the future full time as a career. It's very
frustrating when you can't find the time to do what you really want to do.
Everything can become an added burden when your mind and heart is
elsewhere.''

Jacqueline said other vocalists had warned her that marriage and children
would be in the way of his music dream. That admonition haunted her during
the first years of their marriage, she said, when she feared opportunities
in music would take him away from the family.

Today, she no longer has that fear.

''If an opportunity opens up tomorrow, I will stand behind him,'' she said.
``I've been praying for his success because I know in the long run [singing]
will make him happy and benefit his children.''

The couple's four children all love music, their mother said. The eldest,
Ymalis, 10, plays the piano; Jasmine, 8, has a promising voice and Elijah,
4, already has an ear for music. Solomon, though only 10 months old, already
has music running through his veins, Jacqueline said.

''He likes to watch his daddy practice and he's learned to imitate him,''
she said.

Dorcé himself was a late starter. When he was 9, he emigrated from Haiti to
Little Haiti and graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1978. He was
majoring in mathematics at Miami-Dade Community College's North Campus when
a friend, who knew he loved to sing, urged him to audition with Robert
Hines.

Dorcé knew of Hines, a music teacher at Miami Edison for 33 years, but he
had not considered music seriously at that time because of objections from
his father. Being a musician in Haiti has the connotation of being a
vagabond, Dorcé said.

Hines' teaching style was a vocal boot camp, Dorcé said.

''He's a tough, strict, disciplinarian,'' Dorcé said. ``We'd practice 'til 1
a.m. He made me realize that music is not simply singing. He taught me music
theory, vocal techniques and voice control. He showed me the dedication
required to perform at the optimal level, and he didn't expect anything
less.''

It was Hines who tried to arrange for Dorcé to go to New York City to study
music.

''He heard something in my voice. He never told me what he heard, but his
interest encouraged me immensely,'' Dorcé said.

Hines, who coached Dorcé for four years, wishes scholarships were available
to help his mostly Haitian aspiring performers concentrate solely on music.
He admits, however, that his students face other obstacles, besides limited
finance.

''There's a culture issue,'' he said. 'Most of my students' parents do not
understand what their children are doing in my class. They want the best for
their children and that means becoming a doctor or lawyer.''

There's also a need for more black classical artists to provide inspiration
for students considering a career in music. That's where Dorcé sees himself
playing a role. He hopes performances in front of audiences such as the
mostly African-American students at a May 17 performance at G.W. Carver
Elementary will provide just such inspiration. He also plans to become a
voice coach.

However, he won't give up his opera dream. After all, his idol, Simon Estes,
won the prestigious Peter Tschaikowsky vocal competition in the 1960s, after
decades performing as an amateur while doing odd jobs.

''I leave everything in God's hands,'' Dorcé said. ``All I can do is prepare
and take advantage when the opportunity arrives. This is a lifelong dream, a
work in progress.''



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