Join us for the Oregon premiere of the world's first mariachi opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (To Cross the Face of the Moon)! In partnership with Opera in the Park Portland and Hillsboro Parks and Recreation, enjoy a free, seventy-minute performance in Shute Park with a full orchestra, chorus, and seven featured soloists.

Enjoy delicious food from Mexican food vendors and activities with Hillsboro Parks and Recreation before the show.

Synopsis

Presented in both Spanish and English, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna tells a poignant and timely story of migration, cultural identity, and generational divides within the Mexican-American community. The story begins in present-day Texas where an elderly Laurentino Valesquez lies in his bed, on the brink of death. In conversation with his adult son, we learn that Laurentino left a wife and child in Mexico when he immigrated to the USA in search of opportunity. The borders of time and space blur as we meet three generations of the Valesquez family, and come to understand their journeys, physical and spiritual.

Sinopsis

Presentada en español e inglés, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna narra una historia conmovedora y vigente sobre la migración, la identidad cultural y las brechas generacionales dentro de la comunidad mexicoamericana. La historia comienza en el Texas de hoy, donde un anciano Laurentino Valesquez está en su cama, al borde de la muerte. A través de una conversación con su hijo adulto, nos enteramos de que Laurentino dejó a una esposa y un hijo en México cuando emigró a los Estados Unidos en busca de oportunidades. Las fronteras del tiempo y el espacio se difuminan al conocer a tres generaciones de la familia Valesquez, y al comprender sus travesías, tanto físicas como espirituales.

Mexican Food Vendor Lineup

Laury's Tacos
Super Tacos Ochoa
Rosas Churros
Nieve Casera Villegas

This project is supported by the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Music by José “Pepe” Martínez 
Lyrics by José “Pepe” Martínez and Leonard Foglia 
Book by Leonard Foglia 
Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera
Premiered at Houston Grand Opera in September, 2010 
Orchestrated by David Hanlon 
Orchestrations commissioned by Minnesota Opera