Behind the Mic: actor-singer Yolanda Ortega, co-host of Canción Mexicana
Yolanda Ortega is a born storyteller, and she’s happy to share her heritage and the chronicles of her Southwestern culture with audiences, whether she’s on stage at Su Teatro or on the radio. But joining KUVO as co-host of the flagship KUVO Latin program “Canción Mexicana” 15 years ago was not an automatic transition.
“As an actor, I get my energy on stage with a live audience, taking it in. So I can feel that energy. And when I was asked to do radio, I thought, ‘I can't see them. I just have a mic in front of me. Where am I going to get that energy?”
Her tenure as a co-host was given new energy a few years ago when “Canción Mexicana” added “Epoca Dorado” – The Golden Age of Mexican music, featuring early recordings and vintage films. “It’s my favorite hour because I grew up with that music. It was music that my mother would always sing.”
In this conversation with The Morning Set hosts Steve Chavis and Abi Clark, Ortega describes her leading role in the latest production of “Bless Me Ultima” and her long musical relationship with singer-actor-director (and also “Canción” co-host) Debra Gallegos.
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