–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE–
The arts executive and acclaimed soprano brings nationally recognized leadership, artistic perspective, and deep institutional relationships to Opera Southwest’s senior leadership team.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — September 29, 2026 — Opera Southwest today announced the appointment of Cecilia Violetta López as Chief Advancement Officer, a newly created senior leadership position.
López brings a breadth of experience to the role: she is an accomplished chief executive, fundraiser, artistic leader, board member, and internationally active performing artist. Most recently, she served as General Director and CEO of Opera Las Vegas, leading the organization’s artistic and institutional strategy while continuing a distinguished performing career.
Her appointment comes as Opera Southwest builds the institutional capacity to support a period of sustained growth. Over the past decade, the company’s annual operating budget has nearly tripled, from approximately $579,000 to $1.72 million, while net assets have increased more than ninefold. That growth has come even as much of the American opera field has been characterized by retrenchment. During the same period, Opera Southwest has developed a national reputation for adventurous programming that brings major works of the operatic canon into conversation with neglected masterpieces, contemporary work, and Hispanic and Latino opera.
“We have spent a long time building the artistic side of the company, and increasingly the institutional side has to catch up with what we want to do onstage,” said Tony Zancanella, Executive Director of Opera Southwest. “Cecilia has already led an opera company. She understands the artistic work, the financial realities behind it, and the relationships that make ambitious projects possible.”
López has a long relationship with Opera Southwest as both an artist and a supporter of the company’s work. She has performed with Opera Southwest and previously served on its board of directors. She will continue her singing career while serving in her new executive role, bringing the perspective of a working artist directly into the company’s advancement efforts. On November 15, she’ll join Opera Southwest and the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus in the New Mexico premiere of Hector Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ.
“Opera Southwest has been part of my artistic life for many years, and I have tremendous respect for what the company has built,” López said. “At this point in my career, I’m especially interested in the intersection of artistic ambition, institutional growth, and the relationships that make transformational work possible. I’m excited to bring everything I have learned as a CEO, artist, fundraiser, and advocate to an organization I know deeply and believe in. I’m proud to champion a company that sees Hispanic and Latino repertoire not as something separate from the operatic tradition, but as an essential part of it, all while continuing to grow my work as an artist and arts leader.”
“I’ve known Cecilia since we first worked together on The Merry Widow at Opera Saratoga,” said Anthony Barrese, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Opera Southwest. “Her charisma on stage was obvious, but so were her grit, determination, and generosity as a colleague. Those same qualities have carried through everything she has done since. I’m thrilled to have her bringing all of that to Opera Southwest.”
López’s appointment is effective September 29, 2026
About Cecilia Violetta López
Cecilia Violetta López is a nationally recognized arts executive and Mexican-American soprano whose career spans performance, artistic planning, fundraising, and organizational leadership. Most recently she served as General Director and CEO of Opera Las Vegas, where she led the company. López has maintained an active performing career, with appearances at companies including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Zomer Opera (Belgium), Florida Grand Opera, Minnesota Opera, Opera Colorado, Virginia Opera – and of course, Opera Southwest.
Named one of opera’s “25 Rising Stars” by Opera News, López has been praised by The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Her story and career have also been featured by NPR, USA Today, Univision, and Telemundo.
A native of Rupert, Idaho, and the daughter of Mexican immigrants, López grew up singing mariachi music taught to her by her mother. Throughout her career, she has championed Hispanic and Latino repertoire, artists and communities.
About Opera Southwest
Founded in 1972, Opera Southwest is a professional opera company based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company presents repertoire ranging from established masterworks to rarely performed and rediscovered operas, contemporary works, and opera reflecting the cultural traditions of New Mexico and the broader Southwest. Opera Southwest also produces the New Mexico Symphonic Chorus and operates artistic, technical, educational, and community programs throughout the region.
