Arturo Chacón-Cruz

Biography

Born in Mexico, Arturo Chacón-Cruz has in recent seasons made many important international debuts in theaters including La Scala, Berlin State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Cologne Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Teatro Comunale in Bologna, Teatro San Carlo, Naples, Teatro la Fenice, Venice, Teatro Regio di Turin, Palau de la Reina Sofia in Valencia, L’Opera de Montpellier, L’Opera de Lyon, Washington Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Francisco Opera and many others.

Recipient of the Ramón Vargas Opera Development Scholarship, Arturo Chacón-Cruz has also received many other awards, including First Place and the 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 and Pro Ópera in Mexico. A recipient of the Placido Domingo Scholarship, Arturo Chacón-Cruz was also a prize winner of Operalia 2005.

Chacón-Cruz is a graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio where he appeared in productions of several works including Madama Butterfly, Roméo et Juliette, Manon Lescaut, the world premiere of Lysistrata and Idomeneo. Chacón-Cruz made his Carnegie Hall debut singing Mozart’s Coronation Mass, and has returned to Carnegie Hall to sing Beethoven’s Mass in C and Charpentier’s Te Deum with the New England Symphonic Ensemble as well as in concert with the New York Pops.

In 2006/07 season he appeared at the Washington Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly and subsequently made his Italian stage debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Teatro Comunale, Bologna. This was followed by appearances as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples. His Spanish debut was in Valencia where he appeared as Christian in Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac opposite Placido Domingo in the title role. Chacón-Cruz sang the title role in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette to his repertoire for Michigan Opera Theater. He then was heard at the Festival de Radio France in Montpellier as Marcello di Bruges in Donizetti’s Il Duca D’Alba.

Arturo Chacón-Cruz began his 2007/2008 season with a concert of Verdi’s Requiem presented by the Los Angeles Opera and conducted by Placido Domingo. He subsequently returned to the Washington Opera as Rodolfo in La Boheme, a role he also performed for his stage debut with the Los Angeles Opera, with Opera Pacific and for his German operatic debut at the Staatsoper Berlin in February 2008 under Gustavo Dudamel. He made his debut with the Teatro la Fenice in Venice in January 2008 as Ruggero in Puccini’s La Rondine. Chacón-Cruz returned to the Michigan Opera Theater for his first Alfredo in La Traviata and appeared with the company in La Rondine as well. He then debuted with the Cincinnati Opera in Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas and joined Kent Nagano and the Montreal Symphony for Verdi’s Requiem at the Festival de Lanaudiere.

He opened his 2008/2009 season at the Washington Opera in La Traviata. He then added the title role in Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann to his repertoire for his debut at the Teatro Regio in Turin followed by his first Faust for L’Opera de Montpellier. He also made his Austrian stage debut in a new production of La Boheme in Graz. Chacón-Cruz added the Duke in Rigoletto to his repertoire in Mexico City, where he has also been heard as Lensky in Eugene Onegin. Other engagements included his debut with the Florida Grand Opera in Madama Butterfly and Verdi’s Requiem with the Colorado Symphony.

Arturo Chacón-Cruz began his 2009/10 season as Rodolfo in La Boheme with the Portland Opera and then debuted in this role with the Cologne Opera and subsequently made his debut with the Hamburg State Opera as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. He also returned to the Berlin State Opera in La Boheme and appeared as the Duca in Rigoletto with the Opera de La Wallonie, Liege and with the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee.

Highlights of the 2010/2011 season included Les Contes d’Hoffmann for the Aichi Arts Center in Japan which was also the role of his debut in Moscow. He then made his debut at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre in his first performances of the title role in Massenet’s Werther. Arturo Chacón-Cruz next starred in the role in a new production of the work at L’Opera de Lyon. He also returned to the Opera Royal de la Wallonie for La Boheme, made his Norwegian debut as the Duca in Rigoletto for Den Norske Opera in Oslo, followed by his Swedish debut at the Malmo Opera in Hoffmann. During the summer of 2011 he sang Rossini’s Stabat Mater at the Festival de Saint-Denis conducted by Myung Whun Chung.

Arturo Chacón-Cruz began the 2011/2012 season at the Bayerische Staatsoper where he debuted in Les Contes’Hoffmann. He made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala in the same role. Other engagements for the season included La Boheme at the Stanislavksy Theatre, Romeo et Juliette for Palm Beach Opera, Madama Butterfly for the Minnesota Opera as well as Idomeneo with the Florentine Opera.

In the 2012/13 season he appeared as the Duke in Rigoletto at the San Francisco Opera, as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) in Oviedo and as Rodolfo in La Boheme at the Florida Grand Opera.

In 2012 he made his Bolshoi Theatre debut as Alfredo (La Traviata).