Tenor Jesús Daniel Hernández will trace his journey from childhood in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, through military service and an opera career in a Nov. 15 concert in Rochester.
The Rochester Oratorio Society will present the one-hour program, “The Songs That Raised Me,” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 25 Westminster Road.
The performance opens the season's Arts Connexions concert series, which connects classical music with cultural traditions and storytelling. Hernández performs as “The Walking Tenor.”
From Mexican songs to the opera stage
The program begins with songs connected to home, family and Hernández's grandmother, who listened as he tried to imitate Mexican singers such as Pedro Infante.
Songs about heritage and ancestry include “Dios nunca muere,” or “God Never Dies,” an 1868 Mexican waltz by Macedonio Alcalá.
Mexican classics “Te quiero, dijiste” and “El reloj” explore love, distance and time. “Danny Boy” and “You'll Never Walk Alone” accompany memories of leaving home and serving in the U.S. Army, including Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The classical section includes Tosti's “Malia” and “No puede ser” from “La tabernera del Puerto.” Hernández sang the latter aria for Plácido Domingo in San Antonio, a performance the society credits with helping open the door to his opera career.
“My Way” closes the main program, followed by a guitar encore of “Cielito Lindo.”
Admission and tickets
Advance admission is $30 for general audiences and $25 for seniors and students. The official ticket page lists online totals of $30.90 and $25.75, respectively, including fees. Admission at the door is $35.
Tickets are available online or by calling the Rochester Oratorio Society at 585-473-2234.
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