Austin Opera has announced the premiere of its commissioned opera Ofrenda, a bilingual tale of a family's love and loss, to open its new Butler Performance Center on its Southeast Austin campus next October.
The 90-minute chamber opera, which has been written, chosen, and workshopped over the last three years, is the culmination of Austin Opera's multi-year commitment to bring more Latinx voices and stories to the stage. The work, composed by Jorge Sosa with librettist John de los Santos, is a homage to the ideals of Día de los Muerto, the Day of the Dead.
"The idea for Ofrenda came to me during COVID,” Sosa says. “I wanted to write a work that centered around healing and celebrated essential workers. I was thinking about the curanderas (traditional healers) in México and the mysticism that surrounds them. The opera reads like a hospital procedural show, mixed with a healthy dose of magical realism and high drama."
Ofrenda composer Jorge Sosa with Opera board chair Susanne TetzlaffPhoto by Marjorie Kamys
The main character of Ofrenda is Macaria, a custodian at a hospital who has an encounter with death, represented by Señora, Sosa says. Moved by Macaria’s kindness, Señora sheds a tear of life into Macaria’s water bottle, giving her the power to heal anyone. "But the price for such power will eventually catch up with her," Sosa says.
A Spanish and English duet from the opera, with soprano Leah Crocetto and mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, premiered at November's Celebrate Opera! The full opera will be workshopped for a week next July, and a full symphonic score will be added for its world premiere at the 180-seat Butler Performance Space in October. Ofrenda will open Austin Opera's 2026-2027 season.
“I cannot think of a more ideal work to help us open the Butler Performance Center than Ofrenda, which has grown right here in Austin over the past three years through Jorge and John’s work in the Residency for Latinx Creatives,” says Annie Burridge, Austin Opera’s General Director & CEO for the last decade. “Presenting this world premiere is both a celebration of artistic innovation and an act of community representation, highlighting the power of opera to honor heritage, inspire empathy, and bring people together across cultures.”
Sosa is a Mexican-born composer currently residing in New York City. He is a professor of music at Molloy University and serves on the board of the American Lyric Opera. Librettist De los Santos is comes from Minnesota Opera's New Works Initiative. He serves as Librettist-in-Residence at the Julliard School and teaches music at Yale School of Music.
The 180-seat Butler Performance Center as it might look when it is competedRendering courtesy of Austin Opera
Claudia Chapa, Austin Opera's curator of Hispanic & Latinx programming, says the themes of remembrance, love, and healing are woven through the narrative of Ofrenda.
“The work resonates deeply in Austin, where more than one-third of residents identify as Hispanic or Latinx, and where Austin Opera has cultivated long-term relationships with the community through programs such as Concerts at the Consulate and the Residency for Latinx Creatives. As communities seek shared experiences that foster understanding and connection, Ofrenda offers a poignant reflection on the ties that bind families and cultures across generations.”
The Butler Performance Center, on the Austin Opera campus at 5811 Trade Center, is designed to be a cultural hub for Austin's southeast community. In addition to the theater, the space will include four rehearsal halls, indoor-outdoor space and 300 parking spots for local events. The space is part of Austin Opera's Inspire 2030 campaign.
Ofrenda is funded through the Butler Fund for Spanish Programming, which sponsored Austin Opera's Spanish residency program. The opera also partners with the Mexican Consulate for shows and programming.
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