Renowned tenor Michael Fabiano and collaborative pianist Laurent Philippe will present the world premiere of a song cycle by Jimmy López Bellido. The work, titled Poems by Nilo Cruz was commissioned by the Tucson Desert Song Festival through the Wesley Green Composer Project. Best known for his enormously successful opera Bel Canto commissioned and premiered by Chicago Lyric Opera, Peruvian composer Jimmy López Bellido has had works performed by major orchestras and opera companies around the world. His champions include Renée Fleming and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Michael Fabiano stands among the most dynamic and prolific tenors on the world stage today. The recipient of the 2014 Beverly Sills Artist Award and the 2014 Richard Tucker Award, he is the first singer to win both awards in the same year and is considered one of the great voices of our time. Pianist Laurent Philippe, Michael’s frequent and long-time performing partner, joins him onstage for a full recital program featuring Jimmy Lopez’s premiere.