Where the Art is: Angelica Roque

by Maryann Colella

When asked how long she’s been singing, this month’s featured artist laughs and replies, “My grandpa likes to tell people that I started singing before I was talking. I’m not sure if there’s any truth in that statement, but I wouldn’t doubt it too much.” Junior Angelica Roque, has been involved in El Segundo choirs since she came to the district in fourth grade, but she has been singing her entire life with her family of musicians.

She currently sings first soprano in the ESHS advanced Chamber choir and she also sings with her church choir. Angelica recently received a musical theatre scholarship at The Professional School for the Arts. Between training at this studio, and singing with choirs and a jazz band, Angelica spends nearly 15 hours a week singing. (This does not include all the time she spends singing to herself and with her family around the house).

She says that her favorite musical artists are her parents, who are also her inspiration. “My childhood was like musical theatre boot camp,” says Angelica very seriously. She tells me of her memories of sitting backstage and playing “Go Fish” on set pieces with the cast of the Beach Cities Civic Light Opera production of Oklahoma, in which both of her parents performed.

She also speaks fondly of car rides with her family, when they would listen to KEARTH and sing along with the radio. “We used to turn off the radio and keep singing, and then we would turn it back on at the end of the song to see if we stayed with it,” she laughs, “People tell us we should be like the Partridge Family.” With a father who plays piano and sings, a brother who plays guitar and sings, another brother who plays percussion and sings, and a mother who sings, Angelica’s house must be like a concert hall, day and night.

One of her favorite memories was when she was at a pizza restaurant in the middle of Circus Circus, when “Going to the Chapel” came on the radio. She and her parents gradually progressed into three part harmony and by the end of the song, people in the restaurant were clapping. This isn’t uncommon with the Roque family.

As for college, Angelica hopes to double major in musical theatre and another academic subject of which she is not yet entirely sure. She knows that she wants to stay in California though, because she is incredibly close with her extremely large family. But no matter what, she knows that musical theatre will be a part of her life. “I love musical theatre because when I sing a song, it’s so much more than just singing, it’s telling a story, and you really get that feeling of the story telling mixed with beautiful music.”

Angelica would like to add, “Don’t ever say that you can’t sing. Everybody can sing. It’s not the quality of the sound that matters. It’s the passion and emotion behind the words. It’s the way it makes you feel and the way it makes other people feel.”