By José Eduardo Zarco
We had agreed to do the interview with Ricardo in the cafeteria of the Rafael Landívar University, but I realized that I had left my recorder. I asked him if we could go to my house and there, more calmly, in a more familiar environment, we talked.
How did you start singing?
Well, I remember the day my father gave me a guitar. That was the starting point of what I am currently doing. That instrument made me start vocalizing. At 12 years old, I made my first song. I participated in song festivals at the student level. After singing for five years I retired to begin my training at a professional level, composing commercial songs.
What was that first song you wrote?
It’s called Thanks to the world. With this song I won the 86th Youth Festival of the Don Bosco School.
What do you base on composing the lyrics of your melodies?
You need an idea, a starting point; After that, what I do is start with the choruses, playing the music once and for all. I compose together.
Which of your songs is your favorite?
You’ll be surprised that it’s not one of my album (let me say that I love you). Is called I saw you, I came back, I didn’t know. It is one of the last ones I have done and I feel well identified, because in it you can see life itself.
What has been the most relevant moment in your life?
It was when the record company said yes to my first album.
Would you like to represent Guatemala in an international festival?
I always have it in mind, but I feel like I haven’t done it because to represent Guatemala it doesn’t have to be with a romantic song. From my point of view, it has to be a song of a social nature.
Who is your favorite singer in English?
Barry Manilow.
What do you do apart from singing?
I teach classes to primary school children. I also studied advertising, the last year, and guitar classes and basketball practice.
What can you tell us about your family?
We are a very close-knit household; We meet on Saturdays.
What are your goals?
The next ones I have are the Christmas concert that we plan to carry out with the Public Relations Commission of the Guatemalan Chamber of Journalism. This event will benefit Guatemalan orphan children. For this concert we will perform, with our own traditional trio, songs by Silvio Rodríguez, Joan Manuel Serrat, Miguel Ríos and some other well-known Spanish-speaking performers.
When will it take place?
Well, on a December night, and I understand that it will be at the Open Air Theater of the Great Cultural Center of Guatemala.
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This note is part of the commemorative series of our diamond wedding, it is a tour of news that marked the history of Guatemala, with original texts and images from each era, as a reliable testimony of our mission of service.