Singer Spotlight 01: Becky Mercado
Today on the Inversion blog, we present to you our very first Singer Feature, where we spotlight the voices that make up the different ensembles in Inversion.
This week, we have Encore singer Becky Mercado. Get to know her through the interview below.
How long have you been singing in Encore?
I started in the inaugural year, 2018, and sang until the pandemic break. After that I was able to sing again in 2023, and I’ve continued to attend the concerts even when I wasn’t singing. I’m happy to again be a part of this special group.
What was it that you did before retirement?
I was always in education. I started in 1969 as an early childhood teacher and then taught 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades for about 15 years. By that time, I was mentoring student teachers almost every year, and I remember engaging with their university supervisors observing in my classroom and thinking, “ That’s the job I’d like to have!” So I began supervising student teachers in Houston and then in Pennsylvania.
How have you done an encore in your own life or reinvented yourself?
I would say I’ve had two big encores. The first was in my professional life. When we moved to PA with Ted’s job, I decided to pursue my life-long dream of earning a PhD. My daughters were grown, and Ted was very supportive, so at age 55, I began my courses at the University of Maryland. The best fun was that my daughter, Laura, was also at UMD getting her masters degree in their opera program, so we were students together! I completed my degree just a few months before turning 60 and then taught teacher candidates and district teacher workshops on reading and writing instruction at Shepherd University for 10 years. In 2016, we retired and moved back to Austin.
My other encore is related to music. My oldest brother, Ed, who passed away recently, was my mentor and guide in academics and in music. He played piano and sang, sharing his knowledge and love of music with me throughout my years growing up. I remember him coming home from his first year at UT with a Messiah score and saying, “ I’m going to play this, and you’re going to learn all the soprano and alto solos. I’ll sing the tenor and bass solos, and we’ll sing the choruses together.” I was 13. We were never ready for prime time, but we loved singing together!
We sang not only sacred music but harmonized to jazz standards and Broadway tunes. We even sang some early music after he gave me an Elizabethan Songbook for my 14th birthday. I was always in choir: at church, all through school, at UT and in community choruses. Singing alto is what I did for fun. But inside, I was drawn to the bass line - probably because Ed was a bass and hummed that part with every song. So one day I said to Ted, “I think I should learn to play a bass guitar!” For ten years it was a running joke. Then it wasn’t.
The day I got home from my last day of work, Ted had a bass and amp waiting for me and said, “OK, you keep saying it, now go do it!” I found a teacher and began playing. Three years later, serendipity placed me in contact with a band leader looking for a bassist for his cover band made up mostly of retired folk who played, “for the love of music.”
My musical encore - the Pflame Band from Pflugerville! Conflicting schedules required me to give up choir in favor of the band, but sometimes I can still make both of them fit, and I love it!
Tell us more about Pflame!
The Pflame Band started almost 30 years ago in Pflugerville. Our leader is the founder, and we have a couple of players that have been with the band for many years. I’ve been with them 5 years. We play in the fall and spring each year, mostly in outdoor venues in Austin’s northern suburbs. Our playlist includes a mix of classic rock, country, Cajun, and folk tunes with lots of harmony and choruses to sing along with. We choose a variety of hit songs from the 60’s into the 2000’s. Recent venues include the Dahlia Cafe in Liberty Hill, Rentsch Brewery, and Georgetown Pride. Pflame Band is on Facebook.
