Developed over years of partnership with composer Jorge Sosa and librettist John de los Santos, this new work is a celebration of family, cultural memory, and Día de los Muertos traditions. Ofrenda will open the 2026–2027 season, representing a major milestone for the company—it is Austin Opera’s first commissioned work and the culmination of years of investment in developing new voices and stories that reflect Latinx communities, family, and tradition.

“The idea for Ofrenda came to me during COVID,” said composer Jorge Sosa. “I wanted to write a work that centered around healing and celebrated essential workers. I was thinking about the curanderas (traditional healers) in México and the mysticism that surrounds them. John de los Santos has been an incredible creative partner in developing the idiosyncrasies of the characters and the bilingual libretto. The opera reads like a hospital procedural show, mixed with a healthy dose of magical realism and high drama. The main character is Macaria, a custodian at a hospital who has an encounter with death (Señora). Moved by Macaria’s kindness, Señora sheds a tear of life into Macaria’s water bottle, giving her the power to heal anyone. But the price for such power will eventually catch up with her.”

“In Ofrenda, themes of remembrance, love, and healing are woven through a narrative that honors life’s enduring connections,” said Claudia Chapa, Austin Opera’s Associate Director of Artistic Operations and Curator of Hispanic & Latinx Programming. “The work resonates deeply in Austin, where more than one-third of residents identify as Hispanic or Latinx, and where Austin Opera has cultivated long-term relationships with the community through programs such as Concerts at the Consulate and the Residency for Latinx Creatives. As communities seek shared experiences that foster understanding and connection, Ofrenda offers a poignant reflection on the ties that bind families and cultures across generations.”

Ofrenda is made possible by the Butler Fund for Spanish Programming and support from OPERA America.

Called “a deeply human love story” by the Chicago Tribune, Fellow Travelers portrays the experiences of government employees who were subject to humiliating investigations because of their sexuality. In 1953, the young, idealistic Timothy Laughlin arrives in Washington, D.C., eager to join the fight against Communism. A chance encounter with Hawkins Fuller, a State Department official, results in Tim’s first job and his first romantic relationship with a man. As Tim struggles to reconcile his newfound love with his beliefs, the baleful force of McCarthyism threatens to cost Hawkins his job and his freedom.

Austin Opera’s performances in February 2027 kick off the second year of a national tour that will bring this story to multiple cities across the US in 2026 and 2027, one of the largest consortium projects ever attempted in the US opera industry. The tour is being co-produced by the Up Until Now Collective. In 2026, the tour begins with Seattle Opera (February 21-March 1), Portland Opera (March 7–15), San Diego Opera (July 10–12) and New York’s Glimmerglass Festival (July 18–Aug. 16). 

“As we prepare to celebrate the opera’s tenth anniversary, I have been reflecting on my values as an artist, especially as a Queer artist making work during these uncertain times,” says stage director Kevin Newbury, who also directed the premiere of Fellow Travelers at Cincinnati Opera in 2016. “I believe that we stand on the shoulders of the people who came before us and who fought so hard and sacrificed so much for us to have the rights we have today. I believe in the power of art to build community. And I believe in the power of a good love story. And Fellow Travelers is, first and foremost, a good love story.”