Portal U de A

By: Sergio Alejandro Ruiz Saldarriaga. Journalist at UdeA Communications Department 

A six-year-old girl with dozens of instruments in front of her. Experienced musicians, and a concert about to begin. On stage: Universidad de Antioquia’s Symphonic Band. Thus began the musical career of Jaqueline Martínez Alzate, a clarinetist trained at UdeA who discovered the musical power of her spirit from a young age, a power that will now resonate in New York. 

The music program at Universidad de Antioquia offers three areas of study: composition, conducting, and instrumentation. The latter includes 19 instruments. Photo: UdeA Communications Department / Sergio Alejandro Ruiz. 

Jaqueline Martínez Alzate knew from a very young age that music was her thing. Even before she recalled her childhood games, her musical memories still predominate. "I saw the band's clarinets and told my mom I wanted that instrument," Jaqueline recalls that first encounter that made her fall in love with her instrument 20 years ago during a concert by Universidad de Antioquia’s Symphonic Band at a shopping mall in Medellin. 

Today, at 26 years old, that girl who grew up in the Manga Arriba area of the municipality of Girardota, surrounded by mountains, a family musical tradition, and rural dynamics, is preparing to become the first Colombian to begin the Master's Program in Classical Clarinet at the Manhattan School of Music, one of the most recognized music academies in the world. 

Her achievement has come about thanks to the combination of discipline, curiosity, talent, and, above all, a lot of "stubbornness," which, according to her, has been the surprising factor that has led her in life with eagerness and determination, which many might mistake for haste and suffering. 

Her career has led her to join the Medellin Philharmonic Orchestra. She has also represented Colombia at international festivals, such as Mozart Week, in Salzburg, Austria, and "Encuentros LA," a program of the Dudamel Foundation and the Los Angeles Philharmonic for training musicians from around the world. 

"It's not easy to sit down and study for hours every day. I think it really comes down to a conscious decision and passion. No matter how much discipline you have, there must be a passion that sustains you. Every day is different, and it's my tool that I use to learn about myself and continue to learn about music." 

Without realizing it, she was not only admitted to this prestigious music school for graduate studies, but she also obtained a scholarship to attend, thanks to her audition process, which evaluated her artistic merits, academic excellence, and command of English. 

With a repertoire of 12 musical works, which comprised approximately two hours of music, her audition was particularly different because, unlike other applicants, she had to take the test virtually. Although this marks her entry into "the major leagues of music," her journey has been marked by a steady imprint: UdeA. 

Without a doubt or exaggeration, this young musician can rightly say that UdeA has been her home since childhood. She attended extension courses —educational programs that seek to complement the academic training of children, youth, and adults —then attended the University's music preparatory school and completed her undergraduate degree in music in the Clarinet instrument category. Today, she recognizes that this has been a place not only for her training as an artist but as a person. 

She began her exploration in extension classes as a child with teacher Amparo Álvarez, who introduced her to the world of the clarinet after her first music teacher, Diego Suárez, from the municipality of Girardota. "I waited all week to be able to go to clarinet class on Saturdays." 

Her family tradition also allowed her to cultivate a love of music. Her grandparents, aunts, and uncles carry on a legacy that has endured. She remembers her grandparents as members of the "Mangueña," a historic Girardota band, during the 1920s. Her uncle is also a trombonist from UdeA and was a professor at the Faculty of Arts. 

In her journey of musical exploration, Jaqueline's first instrument was the bandola, which she brought home one day after starting school. Then came string ensembles, the choir, Latin American music, jazz, and, of course, the clarinet. By the age of ten, she was already performing at festivals like "Mono Núñez" and "Antioquia Vive la Música" as the youngest member of groups made up mostly of adults. 

Later, she enrolled in Universidad de Antioquia’s music preparatory school in the clarinet category, a kind of pre-university music program that she attended during her final school years. She had the opportunity to explore university life through theoretical and aural training, music history, and, of course, further development of her instrument. 

Without hesitation, she recognizes that place as a space for growth. "For me, Universidad de Antioquia is a home. It opened its doors to me, watched me grow, and taught me almost everything I know. It's a place that not only values knowledge, but also the comprehensive development of the individual." 

Although she now looks back on her undergraduate studies at UdeA as quick and fast-paced, she also remembers being passionate, curious, intense, and, above all, very disciplined. "Sometimes I wish I had gone slower, enjoyed myself more, shared time with friends, but I was in love with knowledge." 

"Without the clarinet, I feel incomplete" 

For Jaqueline, the clarinet isn't just an instrument, it's her complement. "It's my companion, my tool for learning and expressing myself. It's an extension of me. I always carry large bags because that's where it goes: Without the clarinet, I feel incomplete." Perhaps for this reason, she vehemently asserts that it is one of her most stable and secure bonds, as it has been with her through years of study, practice, concerts, and classes. 

She now mentors the training of new musicians at the Ibero-American Philharmonic Academy (Iberacademy), an artistic training program that provides pedagogical and artistic support to music schools in different subregions of the department. 

All the passion she reflects today as a teacher is the result of Evencio Alzate, her uncle and first musical sponsor; Diego Suárez, her first music teacher in Girardota; Sandra Sánchez, her clarinet teacher during her undergraduate studies; Alejandro Tobón and Luz Estella Rincón, UdeA professors who shaped her journey, and of course, her current tutor in this new academic phase, José Antonio García. 

Today, the scholarship from the Manhattan School of Music, an institution that rarely grants financial support and rigorously evaluates each profile, makes her feel this achievement isn't just hers. "It's the fruit of many years of work, but also the support of my family, my teachers, and all the people who have believed in me. I owe this moment to all of them.” 

The semester in New York will begin in September, but Jaqueline will depart in August. She will bring to "The Big Apple" not only her clarinet but also a story born among mountains, student bands, municipal bands, and UdeA’s imprint.