ZORRO to Open Utah Opera's 49th Season at Capitol Theatre

Utah Opera launches its 49th season with Mexican American composer and librettist Héctor Armienta’s Zorro, October 10–18, 2026, at the Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre. Featuring an all-Latino principal cast, the Utah Opera premiere brings the familiar hero to life through sweeping music, romance, sword fighting, and flamenco.

“Opening our season with a work by living composer Héctor Armienta is incredibly exciting,” says Christopher McBeth, Artistic Director of Utah Opera. “Zorro is one of the most stirring and popular-with-audiences operas written in the last ten years.”

Tenor César Delgado leads the all-Latino principal cast as Diego de la Vega. For composer and librettist Héctor Armienta, having Latino artists bring these characters to life carries special resonance.

“Having an all-Latino principal cast has great significance for me,” says Armienta. “While I believe all artists should be able to sing repertoire that may not be from their specific culture, there are roles that carry particular meaning and weight when performed by artists who have a deep connection to that culture.”

A self-described neo-romantic and admirer of Puccini, Armienta draws from his heritage on both sides of the U.S.-México border, weaving allusions to corridos, boleros, and flamenco into the score. The opera is performed in English and Spanish with supertitles in both languages.

Set in early 19th-century Alta California, the story follows Diego de la Vega as he returns from Spain to find his childhood home under the oppressive rule of General Moncada. Through his childhood friend Ana Maria and the people suffering under colonial rule, Diego begins to confront the injustices around him, ultimately taking on the masked identity of Zorro.

“When composing Zorro, I wanted to ground the story in real California history, that period when California was still Mexican and Spanish, before statehood,” says Armienta. “That era is rich with detail most audiences have simply never encountered on an opera stage.”

Stage director David Radamés Toro brings that history to life alongside the adventure audiences have come to associate with Zorro. Utah flamenco dancer and choreographer Katie Sheen-Abbott integrates flamenco into the production, while fight choreographer Chris DuVal stages the swordplay synonymous with the masked hero.

“The beauty of Mr. Armienta’s interpretation is that Zorro is not a white savior who arrives to save the poor,” says Toro. “He is an extension of revolutionary thought who can only defeat the tyrant, Moncada, with the help and strength of the people who seek freedom.”