Campus Saint-Jean grad follows her musical heart
By Geoff McMaster
January 12, 2010
Erica Viegas
(Edmonton) At the age of 11,
Erica Viegas begged her parents for voice lessons. They resisted at first, heeding the standard advice that children put off formal training until their vocal chords are more developed.
But Viegas had been singing for as long as she could remember and was determined to start taking it seriously. She called every voice coach in Sherwood Park until she found one willing to provide her with an audition and the green light to proceed.
As it turned out, her voice fared just fine. In fact she completed 10 grades of Royal Conservatory training, performed at countless open stages, school musicals and festivals, and explored several genres of music including classical, folk, country and pop before graduating from Archbishop Jordon Catholic High School's French immersion program. She even did a stint as Klondike Katie in 2003-04, performing more than 50 times over Edmonton's 10-day Capital Ex festival.
Viegas then enrolled in Campus Saint-Jean's bilingual bachelor of commerce program, the perfect place, she says, for a bilingual student looking to keep her music alive on the side, as she continued to work on voice with music professor Mireille Rijavec and choir director Laurier Fagnan.
Making music happen
Now she is releasing her first CD of original material called Where My Heart Goes, a five-song EP that deals with "all things that have touched my heart. I think that describes who I am really well. And not just romantic relationships; [it's about] all kinds of heart-based things."
It's a big step forward for a musician who has spent most of her career performing covers. She admits it exposed her in ways that were a little uncomfortable at first.
"It's really scary, and I struggled with it for a while," says Viegas. "As a performer doing covers, you get used to portraying your emotions in that way, but sharing songs you've written is a completely different beast. It's a lot more vulnerable. When you perform, you know your friends are thinking, 'What's that one about?'"
International experiences inspire song
One song on the CD recounts an experience in India, following Viegas' overseas exchange placement in Lille, France during the third year of her Campus Saint-Jean degree. At the end of her placement, she volunteered at a school for street children in Mumbai called One! International, founded by U of A alumna Tania Spilchen. Teaching English and music to children with very little formal education, Viegas was touched enough to pick up her pen and guitar.
"The song is about thanking whoever is up there, regardless of what you believe, for the world's blessings," she says, adding that if opportunity allows, she would love someday to return to the school.
Now working as a development officer in the U of A's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, a job she loves, she nonetheless adds that she can't imagine her life without music.
"If something huge happened and things took off, of course I would follow that. But I try to enjoy where I am, wherever I am. Sometimes it's more fun to just see where things take you."
Viegas is planning a release party sometime in February with promotional dates to follow. The CD is available at CD Plus in Sherwood Park Mall, Megatunes in Edmonton and Calgary or from Viegas' website, where samples of her music are available.