Opera Santa Barbara is Back with a Bang!

By Richard Mineards   |   October 12, 2021
Mariachi Los Camperos and Santa Barbara Grupo de Danza Folklorico Quetzalcoatl performed at the Granada (Photo by Priscilla)

The singers, under artistic director Kostis Protopapas, launched its first post-pandemic season with mariachi opera Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon), a 2010 commission from the Houston Grand Opera with music and lyrics by Jose “Pepe” Martinez.

With inspiring music from Grammy winners Mariachi Los Camperos, the production, a traumatizing tale of one family and two countries over a 50-year span, featured riveting performances from tenors Bernardo Bermudez, Daniel Montenegro, and Sergio Gonzalez, baritone Efrain Solis, and mezzo sopranos Jessica Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Raphaella Medina, and Kelly Guerra.

Add into the mix the colorful 30-year-old Santa Barbara Grupo de Danza Folklorico Quetzalcoatl, under director Francisco Espinosa, and you had a fab fiestaesque fête.

Afterwards the company hosted a launch bash at Carlitos, just a tiara’s toss from the venerable Granada Theatre, where opera fans noshed on tamales and quesadillas.

How appropriate.

Cruzar la Cara de la Luna was performed at the Granada Theatre (Photo by Priscilla)
 

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