Arturo Chacón Cruz
Encyclopedia
Arturo Chacón-Cruz is a Mexican
operatic tenor
. A winner of the Operalia competition in 2005, he went on to sing leading roles at many North American opera houses, including Los Angeles Opera
, Washington National Opera
, and Houston Grand Opera
. He has also appeared in many European opera houses, including the Teatro Real
in Madrid, La Fenice
in Venice, and the Berlin State Opera
.
, raised in Navojoa
, Sonora.
He has been acclaimed for his portrayal of Rodolfo in La Bohème
, due to the youthfulness, beauty, and power of his voice, as well as his sincere interpretation of the role.
A graduate of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera
Studio, he also graduated form numerous institutions, including SIVAM workshops, the Boston University
's Opera Institute, and San Francisco Opera
's Merola Opera Program.
He did his Palacio de Bellas Artes
debut (Mexico City) in 1999, in the "III Gala Latina", and he has returned several times to that stage for many concerts and Opera.
He made his Carnegie Hall
debut in March 2002 singing in Mozart's Coronation Mass. He later returned to Carnegie Hall in June 2003 to sing Beethoven's Mass in C and Charpentier's Te Deum
with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, as well a concert with the New York Pops in 2006.
He made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra as part of the "Summer in the City" concert series in July 2004.
In September 2005 he sang a concert of Mexican songs and Spanish music with the Houston Symphony Orchestra
. He debuted with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
in 2008, under the baton of Maestro Kent Nagano
performing the Tenor solo in the Verdi Requiem during the Lanaudière Festival in Joliette. In 2010, he made his Chinese debut in Beijing, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel
, singing Alfredo in La traviata.
Chacón-Cruz has received many awards, including the Antonio Davalos Award in Mexico's Carlo Morelli's competition, First Place and Audience Choice Award at the 2003 Eleanor McCollum Competition in Houston Grand Opera
, winner of Metropolitan Opera
National Council Auditions in the New England Region, Plácido Domingo
's Operalia 2005. He was also the recipient of the Ramón Vargas
Opera Grant given by Mr. Vargas and Pro Ópera in Mexico. He was named as well 2006 Artist of the year by El Imparcial Cultural Organization in his hometown of Hermosillo
, Mexico.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
operatic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
. A winner of the Operalia competition in 2005, he went on to sing leading roles at many North American opera houses, including Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
, Washington National Opera
Washington National Opera
The Washington National Opera is an opera company in Washington, D.C., USA. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performances are now given in the Opera House of the John F...
, and Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
. He has also appeared in many European opera houses, including the Teatro Real
Teatro Real
The Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
in Madrid, La Fenice
La Fenice
Teatro La Fenice is an opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of the most famous theatres in Europe, the site of many famous operatic premieres. Its name reflects its role in permitting an opera company to "rise from the ashes" despite losing the use of two theatres...
in Venice, and the Berlin State Opera
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
.
Career
Chacón-Cruz was born in Cd. Obregon, SonoraSonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, raised in Navojoa
Navojoa
Navojoa is the fifth-largest city in the northern Mexican state of Sonora and is situated in the southern part of Sonora, south of the state's border with the U.S. state of Arizona. It is the administrative seat of a large municipality, located in the Mayo River Valley.-History:The city name...
, Sonora.
He has been acclaimed for his portrayal of Rodolfo in La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, due to the youthfulness, beauty, and power of his voice, as well as his sincere interpretation of the role.
A graduate of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
Studio, he also graduated form numerous institutions, including SIVAM workshops, the Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
's Opera Institute, and San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
's Merola Opera Program.
He did his Palacio de Bellas Artes
Palacio de Bellas Artes
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
debut (Mexico City) in 1999, in the "III Gala Latina", and he has returned several times to that stage for many concerts and Opera.
He made his Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
debut in March 2002 singing in Mozart's Coronation Mass. He later returned to Carnegie Hall in June 2003 to sing Beethoven's Mass in C and Charpentier's Te Deum
Te Deum (Charpentier)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier composed his grand polyphonic motet Te Deum in D major probably between 1688 and 1698, during his stay at the Jesuit Church of Saint-Louis in Paris, where he held the position of musical director...
with the New England Symphonic Ensemble, as well a concert with the New York Pops in 2006.
He made his debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra as part of the "Summer in the City" concert series in July 2004.
In September 2005 he sang a concert of Mexican songs and Spanish music with the Houston Symphony Orchestra
Houston Symphony Orchestra
The Houston Symphony is an American orchestra based in Houston, Texas. Since 1966, it has performed at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in downtown Houston....
. He debuted with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Montreal Symphony Orchestra
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is a symphony orchestra based in Montréal, Québec, Canada, with Montréal's Place des Arts as its home.-History:...
in 2008, under the baton of Maestro Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano
__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
performing the Tenor solo in the Verdi Requiem during the Lanaudière Festival in Joliette. In 2010, he made his Chinese debut in Beijing, under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel
Lorin Maazel
Lorin Varencove Maazel is an American conductor, violinist and composer.- Early life :Maazel was born to Jewish-American parents in Neuilly-sur-Seine in France and brought up in the United States, primarily at his parents' home in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood. His father, Lincoln Maazel , was...
, singing Alfredo in La traviata.
Chacón-Cruz has received many awards, including the Antonio Davalos Award in Mexico's Carlo Morelli's competition, First Place and Audience Choice Award at the 2003 Eleanor McCollum Competition in Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera
Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
, winner of Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
National Council Auditions in the New England Region, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
's Operalia 2005. He was also the recipient of the Ramón Vargas
Ramón Vargas
Ramón Vargas is an award-winning Mexican operatic tenor. Since his debut in the early '90s, he has developed to become one of the most acclaimed tenors of the 21st century. Known for his most expressive and agile lyric tenor voice, he is especially successful in the bel canto...
Opera Grant given by Mr. Vargas and Pro Ópera in Mexico. He was named as well 2006 Artist of the year by El Imparcial Cultural Organization in his hometown of Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
, Mexico.
Repertoire
Some of his tenor roles include:- Arcadio in Daniel CatánDaniel CatánDaniel Catán was a Mexican composer of Russian Sephardic Jewish descent known particularly for his operas and his creative friendship with the tenor Plácido Domingo.-Career:...
's Florencia en el AmazonasFlorencia en el AmazonasFlorencia en el Amazonas is an opera in two acts composed by Daniel Catán. It contains elements of magical realism in the style of Gabriel García Márquez and uses a libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain, one of his pupils...
, - Rodolfo in La bohèmeLa bohèmeLa bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
, - Pinkerton in Madama ButterflyMadama ButterflyMadama Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story "Madame Butterfly" by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco...
, - Rinuccio in Gianni SchicchiGianni SchicchiGianni Schicchi is a comic opera in one act by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano, composed in 1917–18. The libretto is based on an incident mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy. The work is the third and final part of Puccini's Il trittico —three one-act operas with...
, - Ruggero in La RondineLa rondineLa rondine is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Adami, based on a libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert...
, - Lensky in Tchaikovsky's Eugene OneginEugene Onegin (opera)Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
, - Alfredo in La traviataLa traviataLa traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
, - Il Duca di Mantova in Verdis RigolettoRigolettoRigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s'amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on March 11, 1851...
, - The Tenor solo in the Verdi Requiem,
- Romeo and Faust in Gounod's Roméo et JulietteRoméo et JulietteRoméo et Juliette is an opéra in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique , Paris on 27 April 1867...
and FaustFaust (opera)Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
, - Christian in Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac,
- The title role in Mozart's IdomeneoIdomeneoIdomeneo, re di Creta ossia Ilia e Idamante is an Italian language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a French text by Antoine Danchet, which had been set to music by André Campra as Idoménée in 1712...
, - Tamino in The Magic FluteThe Magic FluteThe Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
, - Marcello di Bruges in Donizetti's Il duca d'Alba,
- Nemorino in Gaetano DonizettiGaetano DonizettiDomenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
's l'Elisir d'AmoreL'elisir d'amoreL'elisir d'amore is an opera by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. It is a melodramma giocoso in two acts...
, - Des Grieux in Massenet's ManonManonManon is an opéra comique in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by the Abbé Prévost...
, - the title role in WertherWertherWerther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, Paul Milliet and Georges Hartmann based on the German epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe....
, - the title role in Les Contes d'HoffmannLes contes d'HoffmannLes contes d'Hoffmann is an opéra by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was written by Jules Barbier, based on short stories by E. T. A...
, - Uriel in Haydn's The Creation.
Venues
- Washington National OperaWashington National OperaThe Washington National Opera is an opera company in Washington, D.C., USA. Formerly the Opera Society of Washington and the Washington Opera, the company received Congressional designation as the National Opera Company in 2000. Performances are now given in the Opera House of the John F...
, - Houston Grand OperaHouston Grand OperaHouston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera was founded in 1955 through the joint efforts of Maestro Walter Herbert and cultural leaders Mrs. Louis G. Lobit, Edward Bing and Charles Cockrell...
, - National Centre for the Performing ArtsNational Centre for the Performing ArtsNational Centre for the Performing Arts may refer to* National Centre for the Performing Arts * National Centre for the Performing Arts...
, Beijing, China, - Opera PacificOpera PacificOpera Pacific was an opera company located in the Orange County, California, United States city of Santa Ana. It operated for 22 seasons before closing in 2008 after several seasons of deepening financial difficulties.-History:...
, - Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden,
- Detroit Opera,
- The Keller AuditoriumKeller AuditoriumKeller Auditorium, formerly known as the Portland Municipal Auditorium, the Portland Public Auditorium, and the Portland Civic Auditorium, is a performing arts center located on Clay Street in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts...
with The Portland OperaPortland OperaPortland Opera is an American opera company based at The Hampton Opera Center in Portland, Oregon. Its mainstage performances take place in the Keller Auditorium, while the Portland Opera Studio Theater at the Hampton center is used for performances of chamber operas...
, - Los Angeles OperaLos Angeles OperaThe Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
, - Grazer Oper, Austria,
- Oper Köln, Germany,
- Hamburgische Staatsoper, Hamburg, Germany,
- Teatro Comunale di BolognaTeatro Comunale di BolognaThe Teatro Comunale di Bologna is an opera house in Bologna, Italy, and is one of the most important opera venues in Italy. Typically, it presents eight operas with six performances during its November to April season....
, - Teatro di San CarloTeatro di San CarloThe Real Teatro di San Carlo is an opera house in Naples, Italy. It is the oldest continuously active such venue in Europe.Founded by the Bourbon Charles VII of Naples of the Spanish branch of the dynasty, the theatre was inaugurated on 4 November 1737 — the king's name day — with a performance...
, - Connecticut OperaConnecticut OperaConnecticut Opera was a professional, non-profit, opera company based in Hartford, Connecticut, and a member of OPERA America. The company presented three fully staged opera productions during an annual season. It was founded in 1942 under the directorship of Frank Pandolfi and was the sixth oldest...
, - Cincinnati OperaCincinnati OperaCincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
, - Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Spain,
- Palacio de Bellas ArtesPalacio de Bellas ArtesThe Palacio de Bellas Artes is the most important cultural center in Mexico City as well as the rest of the country of Mexico...
, in Mexico, - Teatro de la CiudadTeatro de la CiudadThe Teatro de la Ciudad was built as the "Teatro Esperanza Iris" in 1918 and is now one of Mexico City’s public venues for cultural events...
, in Mexico City, - Sala Nezahualcoyotl, in Mexico City,
- Teatro RealTeatro RealThe Teatro Real or simply El Real , is a major opera house located in Madrid, Spain.-History:...
in Madrid, - Teatro La Fenice in Venice,
- Teatro Regio di Torino, in Turin,
- Vatroslav Lisinski Concert HallVatroslav Lisinski Concert HallVatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall is a large concert hall and convention center in Zagreb, Croatia. It is named after Vatroslav Lisinski, a 19th-century Croatian composer. The building has a big hall with 1841 seats and a small hall with 305 seats. A large lobby doubles as an exhibition...
, Zagreb, Croatia, - Opéra National de MontpellierOpéra national de MontpellierThe Opéra national de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon is an opera company located in the Place de la Comédie in Montpellier, France. The company was established in 1755 and was granted the status of "National Opera" in 2002 by the French Ministry of Culture....
and Festival de Radio France, - the National Theatre of MiskolcNational Theatre of MiskolcThe National Theatre of Miskolc is the main theatre of Miskolc, and the oldest theatre company of Hungary. Its current Classicist and Neo-baroque building built between 1847–1857, standing in downtown Széchenyi street is home to not only theatrical plays, but events like the International Opera...
in Hungary, - Carnegie HallCarnegie HallCarnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, New York City, - the Mormon Tabernacle ChoirMormon Tabernacle ChoirThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir, sometimes colloquially referred to as MoTab, is a Grammy and Emmy Award winning, 360-member, all-volunteer choir. The choir is part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . However, the choir is completely self-funded, traveling and producing albums to...
in Salt Lake City, - Le Corum: Montpellier France,
- Opera de Lyon, Lyon, France,
- Opera Royal de WallonieOpéra Royal de WallonieThe Opéra Royal de Wallonie ' is an opera house in Liège, Belgium, one of four situated in that country.- External links :*...
, Liege, Belgium, - National Centre for the Performing Arts (China),
- Aichi Triennale Festival, Nagoya, Japan
Recordings
- Marcello di Bruges, "Il duca d'Alba"
- Christian, Cyrano de Bergerac, DVD Release by Naxos RecordsNaxos RecordsNaxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
- Featured in Renée FlemingRenée FlemingRenée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
's Verismo CD
Sources
- Anabitarte, Ana (June 10, 2005). "Llega a final de Operalia tenor mexicano". El UniversalEl Universal (Mexico City)El Universal is a major Mexican newspaper.El Universal was founded by Félix Palavicini and Emilio Rabasa in October 1916, in the city of Santiago de Queretaro to cover the end of the Mexican Revolution and the creation of the new Mexican Constitution...
- Kennicott, Philip (November 6, 2006). "A 'Madama Butterfly' With Pipes, if Not Legs". Washington Post
- Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
National Council Auditions (2003). Biography: Arturo Chacón-Cruz - Midgette, Anne (September 15, 2008 ). "'Traviata': It's a Start". Washington Post
- Westphal, Matthew (September 11, 2007). "Tenor Pulls Out of LA Opera's Verdi Requiem at Short Notice as Replacement Jets Cross-Country". Playbill ArtsPlaybillPlaybill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
.