About

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Arturo Chacón-Cruz 

(August 20, 1977), hailing from Sonora, Mexico, is considered one of the foremost operatic tenors of his generation.

He has established himself as a leading man, gracing the most renowned theaters and concert halls worldwide. Arturo's repertoire boasts over 60 roles performed in 30 countries.

He has had the honor of delivering private recitals for Their Majesties Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain, as well as a concert for all the leaders of Iberoamerica and His Majesty King Felipe of Spain. Arturo has been featured on major news and entertainment outlets, including CNN, FOX, Telemundo, Univision, TV Azteca, Televisa, Vanity Fair, GQ, Esquire, Opera News, People, and more.

Noteworthy performances include:

• The Duke in "Rigoletto" (Houston, Verona, Mexico City, Napoli, Budapest, Hamburg, Strasbourg, Aix en Provence, San Francisco, Verona, Brussels, Los Angeles, Florence)
• Rodolfo in "La Boheme" (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Munich, Stockholm, Graz, Cologne, Hamburg, Las Palmas, Bordeaux, etc.)
• Alfredo in "La Traviata" (Seville, Beijing, Munich, Valencia, Moscow, Rome, Barcelona, Padova, Mexico City, Washington D.C., Detroit, Los Angeles, Verona, Oman)
• Ruggero in Puccini’s "La Rondine" (Genova, Venice, Detroit, Zagreb)
• Hoffmann in Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann" (Turin, Vienna, Milan, Malmo, Munich, Las Palmas, Tokyo, Nagoya, Moscow)
• Faust in Berlioz's "La Damnation de Faust" (Mexico City’s Bellas Artes, Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Bolshoi Theater in Moscow)
• Verdi Requiem (Mexico City, Los Angeles, Guadalajara, San Sebastián, Ljubljana, Miami, Denver)
• Werther (Barcelona, Lyon, Moscow, Budapest, Stuttgart)
• Des Grieux in Massenet’s "Manon" (Monte-Carlo, Mexico City)
• Don Jose in "Carmen" (Hamburg, Tel Aviv, Parma, Lyon, Tampere, Palermo, Zurich, Liege)
• Jacopo in "I Due Foscari" (Vienna, Munich, Paris)
• Macduff in Verdi’s "Macbeth" (Los Angeles, Vienna, Verona)

Arturo has also collaborated with acclaimed film directors Sofia Coppola ("La Traviata," featuring exclusive Valentino designed costumes) and Woody Allen ("Gianni Schicchi," available on DVD and BluRay by Sony). These productions received international acclaim with sold-out performances in Los Angeles, Valencia, and Rome.

In his 2022/2023 season, Arturo was seem in a concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with the new Italian/American music outreach company "Opera Italiana is in the Air." He presented a Zarzuela concert at the Vienna State Opera and took on the role of Gabriele Adorno in "Simon Boccanegra" at Palermo’s Teatro Massimo, the same theater seen in "The Godfather 3." Additionally, he sang in a Zarzuela concert conducted by Placido Domingo in the same historic Sicilian venue.

Other recent appearances include Manrico in "Il Trovatore" in San Francisco, Hoffmann in "The Tales of Hoffmann" in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Oronte in Verdi’s "I Lombardi" in Montecarlo, Jacopo Foscari in Verdi’s "I due Foscari" in Paris, and the title role in Verdi’s "Don Carlo" with the Maryland Lyric Opera at the prestigious Strathmore Hall. He reprised one of his signature roles, the eponymous role in Massenet’s "Werther" at Stuttgart’s State Opera. Arturo portrayed Edgardo di Ravenswood in Simon Stone’s production of "Lucia di Lammermoor" in Los Angeles, Riccardo in Verdi’s "Un Ballo in Maschera" in Maryland, Cavaradossi in "Tosca" with Florida Grand Opera in Miami and Fort Lauderdale (offering a historic "Bis" for "E lucevan le stelle" during their 4th performance).

Upcoming performances include "Un Ballo in Maschera" in Barcelona, "La Bohéme" in Las Palmas and in Bordeaux, "Carmen" in Liege, among many more.

Recordings:

In addition to his extensive operatic discography, Arturo released his first solo album, "Arturo Chacón le canta a México," featuring some of the most beautiful Mexican music ever written, accompanied by the Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonora.

Arturo's Mariachi recordings, "De México para el Mundo" and "De mi Casa a tu Casa," were recently released, including a duet with his wife, Venetia-Maria Stelliou.

His first-ever English language recording, "A Christmas Wonderland," was released in 2021 and is available on all digital platforms, as well as physically on Amazon.

Recent releases include singles such as "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Let It Be," "Hallelujah," "Volver," "Cien Años," "Gracias a la Vida," and "Caruso." They are all available on digital platforms like iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, and more.

Early Life and Education:

In his late teens, before committing to a full-time artistic career, Arturo pursued a degree in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering. He spent six semesters in his native Sonora, Mexico, alternating between mathematics and physics and taking private operatic voice lessons, all while performing with Mariachis on the weekends.

In 1998, he decided to fully devote himself to a Bachelor's degree in Voice Performance and Arts at the University of Sonora. On his fifth semester, he received a full scholarship, eventually the Placido Domingo scholarship, to attend the SIVAM foundation workshops at the Escuela Superior de Música in Mexico City. There, he spent three years working with top teachers and coaches from Mexico, Italy, and the Metropolitan Opera, while performing in various concerts and operas throughout Mexico and Greece.

In the fall of 2001, he received a full scholarship to pursue a Performance Diploma at Boston University’s Opera Institute, graduating in 2003. He then participated in San Francisco Opera’s Merola Young Artists program (2003) and the Houston Grand Opera Studio (2003-2005), where he spent two years studying and performing leading and supporting roles on the main stage of HGO.

Arturo's "big break" came in 2005 when he won the prestigious "Operalia" competition in Madrid, garnering the attention of many major figures in the opera world. This marked the launch of a successful international career.

Awards:

Arturo has received numerous honors and awards throughout the years. These include the Los Angeles Opera "Placido Domingo" Award in 2019, the "Moncayo Medal" in 2018 in Jalisco, Mexico, and "GQ Man of the Year 2018" for Latin America. He was also honored with the "Manetti-Shrem Emerging Star" award in 2017 at the San Francisco Opera. 

Other accolades include the "Alfonso Ortíz Tirado" medal in 2013 (Sonora's highest cultural award), the "Distinguished Sonoran" Medal in 2009 awarded by the Governor of Sonora, the "Culturarte de Puerto Rico" Award, the "Opera de Valencia" and "Plácido Domingo Ferrer Zarzuela" Awards. Arturo won the Eleanor McCollum 1st Prize Award and Audience Choice Award with the Houston Grand Opera in 2003, among many others. Most recently, his "In Song" documentary feature, produced by the San Francisco Opera, received the 2022 People’s Voice Award at the prestigious Webby Awards.

Mentorship:

Arturo serves as a mentor to aspiring young singers, aiming to pass on the valuable lessons and experiences he gained during his own early career. He has been a guest teacher at several institutions such as: Peabody Conservatory, Boston University, EOBA, San Francisco Opera's Adler Program, New World School for the Arts, in Miami, to name a few.

Passions, Giving Back, and Family:

Among Arturo's other passions is languages. He is fluent in Spanish, English, Italian, and French, and continues to study German, Portuguese, Russian, and Greek.

Arturo is a spokesperson for Beyond Celiac, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for Celiac Disease. 

Since 2017, he has been a brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger’s formal attire.

In 2010, Arturo became a US Citizen through the "Einstein Exceptional Ability Green Card" granted to him in 2005.

When he's not on the road, Arturo resides in Miami with his wife, Venetia, and their son, Stephen Arturo. 

He enjoys swimming, cycling, long drives with his family, playing tennis and golf, and playing the guitar.