It is just before dawn. The song in my dream calls me to the piano. Who will sing this melody? Will it be Sor Juana, the seventeenth-century Mexican nun who fought for the rights of girls to be educated? Perhaps it is Aileen Wuornos, meeting her fate on death row after suffering a lifetime of trauma. It could also be the silence of three bystanders bearing witness to violence, but too afraid to act, or the inner workings of Helen Keller’s brilliant mind, calling out racism, ableism and other “isms”, although she couldn’t see the color of my skin.
These are the subjects of my operas.
¡Chicanísima! is a 25-minute opera commissioned by Quinteto Latino about legendary Human Rights Activist and Chicanx Leader, Olga Talamante. This bilingual opera premiered May 16, 2024 at BRAVA Theater in San Francisco. https://www.brava.org/all-events/chicanisima
“Sin Voz” is an aria from my opera, Juana. (Music by Carla Lucero and libretto by Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Carla Lucero.) This is just an excerpt from the poignant and sensuous film Carson Gilmore and Vox Visceralis are creating. The fully orchestrated aria will be recorded in Prague, October 2023, featuring Soprano Michelle Allie Drever, and then released on Navona Records. Please join us on this journey and become an Executive Producer.
You can reach us for more information at carla@carlalucero.com
We still need your support to make this dream come true!
Premiered January 19 - 21 Opera Birmingham
Hello, Star is the astronomically inspiring tale of a young Black girl who keeps her promise to a dying supernova.
Music by Carla Lucero & Libretto by Jarrod Lee.
Based on the book Hello, Star by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic. Commissioned by Opera Paralléle. Premieres Fall 2025.
The Tower of Babel is my second opera commissioned by LA Opera.
It addresses the dangers of monoculturalism, brought into the light in ancient, biblical context: The Tower of Babel; but it’s also wrapped in political satire. The opera celebrates the beauty and richness of cultural and ethnic diversity.
I have been awarded my second OPERA America Women Composers Commissioning Grant for this exciting project, which premieres in 2026!
Tea, a haunting and empowering story centering on the lives of five
Japanese war brides who reunite under less than ideal circumstances. Despite being separated after the war, they
find their bond cannot be broken, even in death.
Music by Carla Lucero & Libretto by Velina Hasu Houston.
Based on the play, Tea, by Velina Hasu Houston. Commissioned by Hawai’i Opera Theatre. Premieres 2026/2027 Season.
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