New Opera to Honor Air Force Hero Major Fernando Ribas-Dominicci

San Antonio, TX, October 25, 2022 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– Mexican American composer, Nathan Felix, is set to premiere a new 60 minute, 3-act, opera inspired by the life of Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, a pilot in the United States Air Force who was killed in action during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986. The opera, Ribas-Dominicci, was written to premiere live at the Carlos Alvarez theater (312 W Commerce) at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio on November 4th 2022 as part of KPAC’s 40 year anniversary. Ribas-Dominicci features tenor Pedro Carreras as Ribas-Dominicci and soprano Lucianna Astorga as Blanca Ribas.

Originally a shorter 20 minute version of Ribas-Dominicci, premiered virtually as part of Texas Public Radio’s Daystream series on April 30th 2021. After the performance, Blanca worked with composer Nathan Felix in developing the libretto into a feature length opera by recounting stories of Fernando’s early years growing up in Puerto Rico, how the two fell in love, details leading up to Operation El Dorado Canyon and the aftermath of losing her husband. Ribas-Dominicci was born in the town of Utado in Puerto Rico and since his passing, the airport in San Juan named Fernando Ribas Dominicci Airport and the City of Utuado honored its fallen hero by naming a main avenue as Fernando Ribas-Dominicci Avenue.

As KPAC celebrates its 40th anniversary this fall, they are both looking back at the station’s history, as well as looking forward to the future of classical music in South Texas. In addition to the lead cast of Carreras and Astorga, the ensemble is led by conductor Jonathan Martinez and features Jose Irizarry (violin), Ptotia Furlow (viola), Stephen Young (cello), Jean Park (piano) and choral singers Steph Huskin, Kelly Vix-Miller, Christiana Davis, Laura Grindle and Thomas Soto.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Nathan Felix High-res images and additional press materials can be accessed via Felix’s website.

Who: Nathan Felix
What: Premiere of the opera, Ribas-Dominicci
When: Friday, November 4 at 7PM CST
Where: Malú and Carlos Alvarez Theater, 321 W Commerce St., San Antonio, TX 78205

About Nathan Felix:
Nathan Felix (born 1981) is a Mexican-American composer known for his immersive operas and experimental films. Felix’s music has premiered in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Japan, China, Sweden, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR, TPR & PBS. Felix, a non-award winning composer, often focuses on telling Latinx themed and minority stories that highlight border issues, underserved communities and his hispanic heritage.

In 2016, Felix was featured on PBS and nominated for a Lonestar Emmy for work on his 6-Piano project in which he restored six pianos for a concert featuring two new compositions. After the concert, Felix donated the pianos to schools in lower income neighborhoods in Austin. The 6 Piano Project has since been commissioned in San Antonio (2016), Barcelona (2017), Melbourne (2017) and Houston (2019). In 2018,

In 2022, Felix premiered his 3rd symphony, Santa-Almada, in Austin TX. Santa-Almada is based on a true story sparked by a quest for answers about the composer’s absent father and Mexican ancestry, revealing the existence of a half brother and sister, also having been abandoned by their mutual father. In June 2022 Felix premiered a newly commissioned opera La Malinche – Traitor | Savior in Albuquerque.