{"id":123650,"date":"2025-08-22T06:33:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T10:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=bu-article&p=123650"},"modified":"2025-08-22T06:33:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T10:33:06","slug":"opera-institute-el-caminante-record-release","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/news\/articles\/2025\/opera-institute-el-caminante-record-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Boston University School of Music: Opera Institute’s Recording of El Caminante Released on PARMA’s GRAMMY\u00ae-winning Navona Records Label"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston University School of Music: Opera Institute’s Recording of El Caminante<\/em> Released on PARMA’s GRAMMY\u00ae-winning Navona Records Label\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Navona Records’ newest release, El Caminante<\/em>, a rediscovered Cuban opera that had its world (re)premiere at BU, is available to stream\/buy on August 22. <\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n
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August 22, 2025<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music: Opera Institute<\/a> proudly announces the official release and new recording of El Caminante<\/em> through PARMA’s GRAMMY\u00ae-winning Navona Records Label<\/a>. El Caminante<\/em>, a long-forgotten Cuban opera by composer Eduardo S\u00e1nchez de Fuentes that first premiered in 1921, was rediscovered after 100 years by David Guzm\u00e1n<\/strong><\/a>, assistant professor of music, voice at BU School of Music<\/a>. A century later, the opera had its world (re)premiere this past fall at Boston University’s Tsai Performance Center, with a concert-style performance by the BU Symphony Orchestra, members of the BU Opera Institute, and acclaimed soprano and BU alum Michelle Johnson (CFA’07).<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“The recording of El Caminante<\/em> marks a pivotal moment in expanding the visibility and appreciation of Spanish-language operas on the global stage,” says Guzm\u00e1n, who, besides discovering the long-lost opera, sings the title tenor role. “Like the other five operas by Eduardo S\u00e1nchez de Fuentes, El Caminante<\/em> represents a missing link in the evolution of Latin American opera\u2014a rich legacy that has long remained underrepresented in the broader operatic narrative.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

El Caminante<\/em> tells the story of a girl, Yolanda, and her mother, Ginesa, both devout Catholics. Yolanda has lost the ability to walk, and her mother spends her days searching for help for her daughter\u2019s condition. Yolanda dreams of a mysterious stranger coming to heal her, and one is sent to Yolanda and her mother in the form of a caminante, who comes to them seeking water for his journey. Struck by Yolanda\u2019s beauty, the caminante embraces and kisses her. Suddenly, she realizes that she can walk again\u2014and that the caminante was the stranger she was dreaming about all along. The caminante leaves, and the opera ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The story of El Caminante <\/em>is both universal and timeless,” says Guzm\u00e1n. “Although it was written in the early 20th century, its themes remain profoundly relevant today. At its heart, the opera explores the relationship between our emotions, self-acceptance, and the body\u2019s capacity to heal.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Guzm\u00e1n, who uncovered the piano-vocal manuscript at the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University in 2020, and three years later obtained the orchestral manuscript from the Museo Nacional de la M\u00fasica in Havana, Cuba, this experience has been deeply personal and a transformative journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s almost surreal to reflect on how [this] all began\u2014when I first discovered the existence of this opera at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts in the fall of 2017. From that moment, I began following every clue I could find to learn more,” says Guzm\u00e1n, who, as a Latino artist, felt a personal connection performing the opera in his native language. “El Caminante<\/em> has touched me in profound and personal ways, beginning first and foremost with how it has shaped my growth as a scholar. This long journey\u2014tracing manuscripts, uncovering historical context, and piecing together a forgotten legacy\u2014has felt like unearthing a hidden treasure. To know that I am contributing a small piece to the recovery and appreciation of Latin American musical heritage is both humbling and deeply fulfilling. It\u2019s a reminder of how much beauty and meaning still lies beneath the surface of our collective memory, waiting to be rediscovered.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Guzm\u00e1n, the premiere of El Caminante<\/em> in the early 20th century was a success, but a number of historical and economic factors prevented the work from gaining long-term visibility. “The aftermath of World War I (1914\u20131918), the global economic instability that followed, and later World War II (1939\u20131945) created difficult conditions for the performing arts worldwide,” explained Guzm\u00e1n. “In Cuba, these challenges were compounded by the bankruptcy of the opera\u2019s original producer and broader economic hardship, making it nearly impossible to sustain large-scale productions of this kind.” As a result, El Caminante<\/em> was only performed once more after its premiere and then faded into obscurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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El Caminante<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Eduardo S\u00e1nchez de Fuentes<\/strong> \u2022 composer
Francisco Villaespesa<\/strong> \u2022 libretto<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston University Opera Institute & Symphony Orchestra
William Lumpkin<\/strong> \u2022 conductor
David Guzm\u00e1n<\/strong> \u2022 tenor
Michelle Johnson<\/strong> \u2022 soprano
Juliette Lee Kaoudji<\/strong> \u2022 mezzo soprano<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if salvation were only a passing shadow? With EL CAMINANTE, the Boston University Opera Institute unearths a one-act operatic gem by Cuban composer Eduardo S\u00e1nchez de Fuentes: a microcosm where the boundary between miracle and mirage dissolves into incense and silk. A paraplegic girl is touched \u2013 and healed \u2013 by a dazzling stranger who promises everything, then vanishes like dew at sunrise. The languid music drapes the seduction in an ambiguous glow, suspended between impulse and sublime transfiguration. Under the baton of William Lumpkin, this early 20th century work is given new life and reintroduced as an essential chapter in Latin American musical heritage \u2014 one that deserves to be heard, studied, and performed.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

visit navona records official website<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

El Caminante<\/em> was brought to life at BU with the help of CFA faculty: William Lumpkin<\/strong><\/a>, associate professor of music and the artistic director and conductor of BU\u2019s Opera Institute; Allison Voth<\/strong><\/a>, associate professor of music and principal coach for the Opera Institute; Matthew Larson<\/a><\/strong>, senior lecturer, vocal coaching; and Oshin Gregorian<\/strong><\/a>, managing director of the Opera Institute and CFA\u2019s opera programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is an honor to be part of an artistic project that is a result of the kind of research that is at the core of Boston University\u2019s mission and values that my esteemed colleague, Professor Guzman, brought to us,” says Lumpkin. “For me, one of the most memorable and moving moments was when all of us gathered to play the opera with the orchestra and singers together for the first time. The thought that we were able to experience this opera after it had been dormant for over a century could not escape my mind, and I still think about that today.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lumpkin, the El Caminante<\/em> project also reflects the mission and training of the BU Opera Institute. “We pride ourselves in programming and presenting a combination of new or unknown repertoire along with more standard and well-known pieces, which provides our students a wide swath of experiences in many styles,” explains Lumpkin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guzm\u00e1n adds, “This recording of El Caminante<\/em> beautifully reflects the mission and training of the BU Opera Institute. At the core of this project is a commitment to excellence, innovation, and real-world artistic exploration\u2014values that are deeply embedded in BU\u2019s educational vision. Our students had a rare and invaluable opportunity to engage directly with a living research and performance process: the revival of a forgotten Latin American opera from manuscript to stage.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concert-style performance (not a staged dramatic production) of El Caminante<\/em> this past fall featured Boston University\u2019s Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lumpkin, and Opera Institute students singing the ensemble parts. Guzm\u00e1n sang the titular tenor role, with CFA alum and opera star Michelle Johnson<\/a><\/strong> (CFA\u201907) as Yolanda (lead soprano) and performance diploma student Juliette Kaoudji<\/strong> (CFA\u201926) as Ginesa (mezzo-soprano).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m truly honored to have been chosen to participate in such a meaningful and exciting project. To take on a rediscovered masterpiece is challenging in that one has the opportunity to explore and put their own stamp on a character without any roadmaps to follow,” says Johnson, who credits BU Opera Institute and her voice teacher, Penelope Bitzas, for helping her expand her creative talents, and who continues to use the tools she learned at BU every time she performs. “To be a part of the rebirth of El Caminante<\/em> is a treat. I’m proud of the work that was put into this project, and I look forward to the world’s reaction to such a luscious score. Here’s to El Caminante<\/em>‘s long life!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n