Octavio Cardenas
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OCTAVIO CARDENAS

stage director
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Biography

Stage director Octavio Cardenas captivates audiences with his visionary, visceral, and physical style of directing. Born in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico, Opera News has praised him for creating “an immersive theater experience” while the Dallas Morning News hailed him for bringing “every character and situation to life.” Recent projects include Papermoon’s production of The Barber of Seville with Opera Delaware, Lohengrin by Salvatore Sciarrino as a pop-up digital opera installation: a site-specific opera for COVID times in collaboration with artist Lance McGoldrick and Opera Southwest, Cruzar la cara de la Luna with Opera Santa Barbara, and the world premiere of Zorro by Hector Armienta with Opera Southwest.
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Recent & Upcoming Engagements

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Llantos 1492 (world premiere)​

Adam Del Monte, composer / librettist
Opera Southwest
February 16–23, 2025
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​​​Dolores (world premiere)

An opera about Latino Activist Dolores Huerta
Nicholas Lell Benavides, composer
Marella Martin Koch, librettist
Commissioned by:
West Edge Opera (premiere TBA Summer 2025)
San Diego Opera (TBA 2025–2026)
Southwest Opera (TBA 2025–2026)


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​​American Sputnik (world premiere)

Evan Mack, composer
Mark Campbell, librettist
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2026 Gilmore International Piano Festival
May 1, 2026


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Full Schedule
© 2024 Octavio Cardenas. All Rights Reserved.
Website design by Catherine Goode. Updated July 2025.
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