Pepito the opera lands on May 1! But we are giving early and limited access to the video on April 13 and will be opening up pre-orders for the album.

On Friday, April 3, 2020 at 6pm PST / 9pm EST, join us (composer Nicolas Lell Benavides, librettist Marella Martin Koch), and the complete original cast for the online premiere of Pepito, a new comic opera.

This Friday, for the first-time viewers will have the opportunity to stream an exclusive behind-the-scenes recording.

Pepito is a story of love, family, and identity set in an animal shelter. Sparks fly when Pepito, a forgotten shelter dog with a big heart, meets Camila and David, a young couple searching for the perfect addition to their family. A shared fluency in Spanish draws Pepito and Camila closer, but David and Angie, the harried shelter manager, question whether or not they are ready for the changes Pepito will bring.

We can't wait to share this work with you!

Nick and Marella

Pepito, a lonely shelter dog, misses his old family and his old life. Camila and David, young married professionals, are searching for the perfect dog. As the cracks in Camila and David's marriage deepen, Camila and Pepito form an unshakeable bond.

music by Nicolas Lell Benavides

www.nickbenavides.com

libretto by Marella Martin Koch

www.marellamartinkoch.com

Commissioned by the Washington National Opera at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and first produced at the Kennedy Center during the 2018/19 season.

Singers (in order of appearance):

Samuel J. Weiser, bass

Joshua Blue, tenor

Alexandra Nowakowski, soprano

Alexandra Christoforakis, mezzo-soprano

Ensemble:

Emma McCartney, flute/piccolo
Holly Hu, oboe
Max Opferkuch, clarinet/bass clarinet
Lieza Hansen, bassoon
Matthew Lee Otto, horn
Cameron Wilkins, trumpet
Aidan Ritchie, trombone
Mary LaBlanc, percussion
You Zhao, piano
Kate Outterbridge, violin
Nicholas Bentz, violin
Erica Zappia, viola
Javier Iglesias-Martín, cello
Rebecca Lawrence, double bass
Nicolas Lell Benavides, conductor

Audio

Zach Miley Productions
www.zachmiley.com

Video

Maggie Beidelman
www.maggiebe.com
Additional Footage
Tyler Eschendal

Recorded in the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall, University of Southern California

Principal Donors
Alan Savada & Will Stevenson
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
Jake Heggie

Foundation Support
Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award