The Migrant Highway at Albuquerque Museum

Mexican-American composer Nathan Felix will present his new immersive opera titled The Migrant Highway at the Albuquerque Museum (2000 Mountain Rd NW) with a preview on September 17th at 7pm for Third Thursday and the full length performance on Saturday September 19th at 2pm. The Migrant High is inspired by the new exhibition, “The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque”

The Migrant Highway is a collection of operettas based on migrant stories that took place along Route 66. Each of the five stories shown takes a peek at the lore and cultural impact of these 2448 miles of road. These free opera performances feature Lucianna Astorga and tenor Curtis Storm as they depict each story alongside a chamber ensemble. This immersive opera will occur in and around various spaces within the Albuquerque Museum and museum goers are encouraged to follow the performers as they move throughout the museum and amongst the audience. Felix successfully produced an original immersive opera at the ABQ Museum in 2022 with his opera, La Malinche : Traitor | Savior, in tandem for the “Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche” which went on to be performed in NYC, San Antonio and Austin for Opera Austin Festival in 2025.

Felix is known for his guerilla-style approach in presenting classical music in unconventional spaces and his immersive opera is no exception, with a performance utilizing space, movement, and acoustics to activate the Albuquerque Museum in a way that has yet to be explored. The idea behind Felix’s immersive opera is similar to a flash mob as it revolves around blurring the line between performer and audience by having musical performers move amongst the audience as they perform a cohesive musical composition. The audience is encouraged to follow the narrative of the piece which entails following the soloists but they are ultimately given agency to explore based on feeling, sight and soundscape.