MUSIC

Houston Grand Opera (HGO) presented its forty-first world premiere,  To Cross the Face of the Moon / Cruzar la Cara de la Luna in a sold-out concert performance on Saturday, November 13, 2010. The mariachi opera, commissioned by HGO through its Song of Houston Project with music by José “Pepe” Martínez, music director of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and a libretto by acclaimed Broadway director and author Leonard Foglia, will be presented fully-staged at Talento Bilingüe de Houston on December 3, 4 and 5, 2010. The four performances will feature HGO’s acclaimed vocal cast including Cecilia Duarte, Octavio Moreno David Guzmán and Vanessa Cerda Alonzo, and Mariachi Aztlán (UTPA).

HGO General Director and CEO Anthony Freud, explained that “exploring the fusion of opera and mariachi takes both art forms in new directions. This piece will allow us to reach new audiences, celebrate the historic 2010 Mexican anniversaries in a spectacular way, and allow us to build dynamic and meaningful relationships with communities around our city for whom opera and opera companies have typically had little relevance.”

To Cross the Face of the Moon / Cruzar la Cara de la Luna opened at the Wortham Center to rave reviews. CultureMap called the new opera “stunning, emotional work” and the intent behind the creation of the opera as “important to the future of opera in America.” The Houston Examiner calls it “a completely new, spectacular and evolutionary work.”

“At its heart, Song of Houston is an extraordinary series of projects that celebrate the people who define the unique character of our city,” commented Sandra Bernhard, Director of HGOco, which produces and manages the Song of Houston project. “We wanted to focus our efforts on the Mexican community in Houston because of the multi-generational nature of their experience here. This project gave us the opportunity to explore a universal theme of home and belonging and to collaborate in a way that honors a unique musical tradition.”

Composer and music director José “Pepe” Martínez has been writing for, performing and recording with Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán since 1975. “In my career, I have written many different kinds of songs which told many different stories,” said Martínez. “This is the first time I have written in an operatic context, but the story and the characters are very moving, and I think the mariachi tradition helps bring them to life in a way that is both relevant and very exciting.”

To Cross the Face of the Moon chronicles three generations of a family, divided by countries and cultures. “The emotional and spiritual connection to one’s country of origin, the challenges of being a stranger in a strange land, the very nature of home are at the heart of the immigrant experience, and of the opera,” said Foglia, who makes his home in Querétaro, in Central Mexico.

“This event marries the magic of culture and song in a premiere stage engagement celebrating Houston’s Latin community,” says Juan Esquivel, President and CEO of Talento Bilingüe de Houston. “We are proud to combine efforts with HGO to bring a world-class performance for a multi-diverse and multicultural audience right to the heart of Houston’s East End.”

Performed in Spanish and English with projected translations.

The Song of Houston project continues with HGO’s launch of East + West, a four-year program which celebrates Houston as a meeting place for Eastern and Western cultures. A series of chamber operas will explore the relationship between first- and second-generation immigrants, displacement of war refugees, storytelling traditions and cultural inheritance in Houston. Courtside, the first in this series of chamber operas, chronicles three generations of Chinese Americans as they balance their American pride with their Chinese traditions. Courtside will premiere at the Chinese Community Center on February 5, 2011.