Bless Me, Ultima

West Coast Premiere

Apr 20, 21, 22, 2018

Mexican Heritage Theater - School of Arts & Culture @ MHP
1700 Alum Rock Ave.
San Jose , CA 95116

LAST CHANCE to get your ticket and see the renowned novel Bless Me, Ultima come to life as an opera!

ONLINE TICKET SALES ENDING SOON. TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

PERFORMANCE DATES:

Fri, April 20th at 7:30 pm - Online sales end Fri. 12 pm

Sat, April 21st at 7:30 pm - Online sales end Sat. 12 pm

Sun, April 22nd at 2:00 pm - Online sales end Sun. at 8 am

Bless Me, Ultima is a new Mexican-American opera on the power of destiny by composer/librettist Héctor Armienta. The opera is based on the acclaimed coming-of-age novel by Rudolfo Anaya, who is is widely recognized as the godfather of Chicano literature. The world premiere, which took place in New Mexico on February 18th, 2018, performed to sold out crowds. Join us for the West Coast premiere at the majestic Mexican Heritage Theater - School of Arts and Culture in San Jose this April, and be one of the first to experience this innovative and inspiring new work.

The Story

It is the story of Antonio Marez, a young boy, at the time when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. Ultima is a curandera, or shaman, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and will discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past- a mythic legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world… and will nurture the birth of his soul.

About the Novel

The novel is considered one of the best in Chicano literature and is one of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Reads. Richard Rodrigues has characterized the novel as an “important contribution to literature in a pluralistic United States,” and others consider it the quintessential Chicano coming-of-age novel. In 2013, the novel was made into a movie. Most recently, Rudolfo Anaya was awarded the National Humanities Medal by Former President Barack Obama for his literature.

To learn more about Rudolfo Anaya, please come to our free discussion on the film Rudolfo Anaya: The Magic of Words. CLICK HERE for more information on this event & to register.

This production is funded by: The National Endowment for the Arts, The California Arts Council, The Office of Cultural Affairs San Jose, Applied Materials Foundation, the County of Santa Clara, Castellano Family Foundation, Knight Foundation, Fleisshacker foundation, Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco, and Friends of Opera Cultura.

NEA