Opera Arlington is bringing Recuerdos to Mansfield’s Farr Best Theater, with singers and a pianist from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The program draws on Hispanic musical traditions, with a journey through Mexico, Spain and beyond.
According to CultureMap Dallas, Recuerdos translates to “remembrances.” The lineup features soprano Judith Rodriguez, mezzo-soprano Karina Buruca-Kunda, tenor Sergio Cepeda and pianist Chun-Syuan Wei.
A past staging was free, with optional donations accepted in support of the artists.
A Program Spanning Centuries and Continents
CultureMap Dallas says the program draws from opera arias, art songs, traditional music and selections from zarzuela, spanning multiple genres and styles.
Opera Arlington's past-productions page for Recuerdos has included Siete canciones populares españolas, or Seven Popular Spanish Songs, dated to 1914, alongside La Llorona, the song featured in the 2017 film Coco. Those selections illustrate the kind of material the evening is built around, pairing classical Spanish repertoire with music familiar to contemporary audiences.
Meet the Performers
Among the singers CultureMap Dallas lists for the Mansfield program is mezzo-soprano Karina Buruca-Kunda. The Dallas Opera describes her as a Salvadoran-American mezzo-soprano and a native of Dallas.
The Dallas Opera biography also says Buruca-Kunda is currently a singer with The Dallas Opera Chorus, a role that connects her to the region’s opera community.
Rodriguez, Cepeda and Wei complete the listed ensemble, pairing three vocalists with piano for the Mansfield program.
Regional Concerts and Mansfield’s Arts Venue
Opera Arlington’s archive lists an earlier Recuerdos performance on November 9, 2023, at Tate Springs Church. In a separate regional example, Fort Worth Opera’s season announcement says the company scheduled Entre Amigos, a Hispanic Heritage Month concert featuring arias, art songs and folk music, for October 9, 2021, at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth. The earlier Recuerdos date is documented in Opera Arlington’s archive. The City of Mansfield describes Farr Best Theater as a 158-seat community arts venue in Historic Downtown Mansfield that hosts movies, shows and other cultural arts events.
