Opera Cultura

• Our programming in the past has included presenting Latino/x/a/é opera, collaborating with Latino/x/a/é based arts organizations, and providing training for young people in the performing arts through La Escuela Initiative. While San José remains our artistic home, we have also presented and co-presented in New York, Washington D.C, and México. Notable performances include La LLorona, Bless Me Ultima, and Armienta’s immigration song cycle opera Cuentos de Peregrinacíon. In 2021, we produced Mi Camino – an animated film opera that was told in the virtual world. Based on video interviews of farmworkers, it told the story of farm workers who have been impacted by the Covid 19 pandemic. In 2022, we produced Robert Rodriguez’s opera Frida at the Mexican Heritage Theater – School of Arts and Culture. The opera is based on the life of Mexican visual artist Frida Kahlo. Most recently, we produced composer Nicolás Benavides’opera Très Minutos, La Llorona told through a feminist lens and CUENTOS, a staged song cycle inspired by the heart wrenching and true stories of Mexican immigrants and farmworkers.

Our mission is to give “VOICE” to the Latino/x/a/é community through opera, while providing opportunities for the San José community to participate as creators, learners, and performers. We accomplish this by presenting the work of composer Héctor Armienta and other Hispanic composers, showcasing exceptional artists, and training young people in the performing arts. By doing so, we create a cultural bridge between communities.