“Whether belting out a Mexican revolutionary song or filling the role of Lucia Norman [Maria Broussé], Espinosa dominates the stage, she is a gem.”
—Juan Esparza, editor, Vida en el Valle
Merlinda Espinosa was a talented singer/guitarist and songwriter, a highly skilled actor and an artist/instructor who passed away on June 17. From a young age, she followed her calling, studying and preparing herself to become the professional artist that she was. She transformed sadness into joy with her unique and powerful voice. And she ignited the stage with her acting, bringing to life the experiences of women whose courage and insight created positive change in the world.
Merlinda’s journey began as a child who loved to sing popular songs she heard on local Mexican radio stations at family gatherings and celebrations. In the late 1990s, Arte Américas sponsored a residency by singer/songwriter Agustín Lira. Lira, NEA National Heritage Fellow and co-founder of Teatro Campesino, saw a special light in her, an enthusiasm and love for music that is rare in most individuals.
She was driven, diligent and steady, developing her skills in guitar and singing. I guess you could say she was fearless in that respect. I recall having taken Merlinda to the Sammy Rodriguez Show at Radio Bilingüe where she sang two songs live on the air. She didn’t miss a lick and her voice did not fail; was it a recording?! Afterward, she giggled and said she was extremely nervous.
As the project coordinator of the residency, I would videotape the classes periodically to send to the California Arts Council. I remember a hectic afternoon as I rushed to film Agustín’s guitar class. I was stressed out; I got there with a headache. I started filming.
Merlinda was singing a song that Agustín arranged in her key “La del Rebozo Blanco” (“The Woman with the White Shawl”), a classic Mexican huapango that spoke of the pudor or inner strength of a woman—“everyone would like to see her crushed and destroyed but she holds her head up high wrapped in her white shawl.” Merlinda sang and played the guitar as if she had written the song, hitting the falsettos with ease; before I knew it, my headache went away.
This wasn’t the last time it happened. Shortly thereafter, I invited her to open for public performances by the student group in my residency, to the delight of our audiences. I began to book her in local festivals such as the Tamejavi Festival, events at Arte Américas and the Fresno Art Museum. We invited her to tour California venues with our group Agustín Lira and Alma at colleges, universities and cultural centers. Standing ovations were not uncommon; the audience always wanted more. She was still a student at University High School at Fresno State.
In the year 2000, Agustín and I started Teatro Inmigrante (Immigrant Theater) at Arte Américas to produce original authentic plays. Merlinda was one of the first students to join the group. She received training from Lira, and we worked together to develop our characters and scenes. Her enthusiasm and insatiable search for knowledge resulted in wonderful portrayals.
She carried out lead roles to popular acclaim: from a farmworker mother in Labor Camp 12 to the companion of Ricardo Flores Magón in Regeneración. For a more detailed list of plays, visit teatrotierraonline.org/plays/.
She offered audience members entertaining, informative windows into our history as a community. I’m sure that this contributed to Mike Rhodes stating that our work as actors and as a theater was “world class.”
Merlinda was an excellent role model, a person who was not only talented but also championed the rights of the poor and disenfranchised through her theater, her music and her deeds. She volunteered her talent for a number of causes and organizations throughout her short and busy life. She was a favorite singer of the Unitarian Universalist Sunday Services and the Fresno County Library touring performances, and she performed for all the social justice organizations in Fresno, including this newspaper, and a number of NGOs. She was generous beyond comparison.
Merlinda performed with local musician Lennie Mendoza for almost two decades, playing an eclectic repertoire in different venues. She was the lead singer of Without a Doubt, Las Tortillas Quemadas and other popular local groups.
She wrote and produced her own album of original music, A Place for My Heart, containing Merlinda’s enticing elegant voice and mesmerizing guitar riffs, inviting you to listen to her words of love and feel her longing, and she wrote a song about the state of the world. She also recorded a Chaka Khan song with Steve Alcala’s Rumba 32 jazz band for their CD collection. Her voice can still be heard in an array of TV commercials that she recorded for.
Before her untimely passing, she was going to record several songs with us (Lira and Wells), and she was going to teach in the community through Teatro de la Tierra. In one of the last conversations that I had with her, she expressed her sorrow about the genocide in Gaza, the deaths of so many children and how she wished she could make it stop somehow.
I hope these words give the reader a better idea of who this homegrown Central Valley chicana diva was. We lost a beautiful person, a loving friend and an outstanding artist. Born Feb. 14, 1986, to Rebecca and Javier Espinosa in Fresno, Merlinda passed away on June 17. She is survived by both her parents, her husband Mikey Torres, her sister Monica (and husband) and her two nephews, Robert and Jacob.
Descansa en Paz Merlinda Hermosa!
