San Diego Opera: 'El Milagro del Recuerdo (The Miracle of Remembering)'

Music by Javier Martínez, Libretto by Leonard Foglia

Friday, Dec. 1, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 3, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.

In this family Christmas story, the beauty of opera blends with lively mariachi to tell a heartwarming pastorela accompanied by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego Opera kicks off new season

Beth Accomando

Listen • 14:10

In a small town in Michoacán, Mexico, two women, Renata and Lupita, are raising their families while their husbands, Laurentino and Chucho, work as braceros in the United States. Laurentino manages to come home for Christmas, but his return enflames an ongoing argument with Renata about his long work trips. Will Laurentino’s urge to support his family overshadow Renata’s desire to keep her family together in a rapidly changing world?

This new mariachi opera, a prequel to 2013’s Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, lovingly explores family traditions in the face of life-changing decisions and dreams of something more.

Sung in Spanish, this opera marks the welcome return of mezzo-soprano Claudia Chapa, who made her Company debut as La Badessa/Zita in 2022’s The Puccini Duo, as Josefina. She is joined by mezzo-soprano Sishel Claverie as Renata and baritone Héctor Vásquez, who made his Company debut as Capitán in 2018’s Florencia en el Amazonas, as Aba. Stage Director Leonard Foglia (Cruzar la Cara de la Luna, El pasado nunca se termina, and Moby-Dick), returns to stage his libretto with James Lowe conducting.

LANGUAGE – Sung in Spanish with English and Spanish text projected above the stage

RUN TIME – 1 hour and 15 minutes, with no intermission.

Pre-Show Party
Starting one and a half hours before every performance, there will be live music, wonderful decorations, themed food and drink for purchase, and other surprises. Come early and enjoy the party!

Pre-Opera Talk
The pre-opera talk begins at 6:40 pm before the 7:30 pm Friday evening performance. The Sunday matinee pre-opera talk begins at 1:10 pm before the 2:00 pm curtain.

Mainstage Post-Opera Talk-Back
Stay after the performance for a Talk-Back. Once the curtain falls, there will be a 10-minute break, then join us in the front of the Dress Circle section where you can ask questions of the stars and cast (subject to availability), and find out what really happened onstage and backstage during the performance!

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