Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

“Armienta’s score is lush with cultural influences that highlight the vast musical palette of Latin and Hispanic artistic traditions.” – The Classical Review (Review of Armienta’s Zorro)

Composer Héctor Armienta considers himself neither Mexican nor American, but Mexican American. His work exists in and in between these two worlds. Drawing on his training as a classical composer, his mission is to reinvent classical music by incorporating musical forms from both sides of the border. Whether it be Mariachi, music Azteca, or corridos (folk songs) from the fields of central California, you can find elements of this music in much of his work. This approach allows him to explore what it means to be Mexican American through the lens of classical music and opera.

Armienta’s notable projects include Bless Me Ultima at Opera Modesto, Zorro at Fort Worth Opera and Opera Santa Barbara, La Muerte at Ópera Cultura, and Mi Camino – an animated opera film that premiered at Ópera Cultura. Upcoming engagements include two new productions of Zorro at Opera San Jose and Arizona Opera, The Coyotes and Rabbits - A Bilingual Children's Opera with Arizona Opera, as well as an immersive VR opera project titled Campesinos.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Armienta is one of the few Chicano opera composers to have had his work performed nationally and internationally. His awards and commissions include those from Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Pacific, Arts International, the Pacific Symphony, Opera Southwest, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and Western Stage Theater. His work for orchestra, theater, and opera has received support from six NEA grants in artistic excellence. He was recently awarded a 2022 CCSRE Arts Mellon Fellowship at Stanford University and a 2021 Map Fund award.

Armienta is also the founder and director of Ópera Cultura whose mission is to explore music theater and opera through a cross-cultural lens. He holds a B.M. degree in composition from California Institute of the Arts and an MM degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He also holds a seat on the board of Opera America as Vice Chair and is Co-Chair of the Civic Practice Committee.