Praised for a warm, luxurious lyric soprano voice with “impressive flexibility” (Texas Classical Review), Judith Rodriguez is a soprano with a diverse repertoire as well as a Spanish music specialist who has appeared frequently on the Opera Arlington stage. Equally at home on the operatic stage and in major concert halls, she has performed to wide acclaim from audiences across the United States and Europe. With her first album release, Dreams of Gold: Zarzuela Arias by Barbieri, Judith’s passion for Zarzuela shines through as she delves into this fascinating genre's historical heritage and artistic legacy. The past year also featured a notable success outside the traditional opera house, with Judith Rodriguez delivering a commanding performance of the National Anthem at the Cotton Bowl. In 2019, Judith Rodriguez was invited to sing a Zarzuela program at The Hall of the Americas in Washington, D.C., under the sponsorship of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That year, she also made her operatic debut in Florence, Italy, singing the title role in the opera Suor Angelica, under the direction of Adrian Sylveen, Artistic Director of Connecticut Lyric Opera.

From her first starring role as Dolores in La Dolorosa, under the baton of Maestro Germán Gutierrez, Judith was “baptized by fire” into the genre of Zarzuela. She went on to study abroad in Spain, immersing herself in the study of Spanish language, texts, music, and performance, under the influence of her mentor, Belén Genicio. In 2008, she made her professional debut in Madrid as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly to great success.  Excellent reviews continued to pour in throughout Spain for her interpretation of versatile roles such as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, the title role of Marina, Pepita in Pepita Jimenez, and Donna Anna and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. By 2011, Judith had returned stateside and embarked on sharing the gift of Spanish music with the community. She went on to perform Zarzuela with organizations such as Opera on Tap, Opera in Concert, The House of Spain, The Orchestra of New Spain, and the Fort Worth Opera. Judith Rodriguez has sung under the direction of Pascual Ortega, Dolores Marco, Montserrat Font, Michael Thomas, Hector Guzman, Adrian Sylveen, and Joe Illick.  After living and performing in Spain for many years and falling in love with Zarzuela, Judith looks forward to sharing this centuries-old art form with audiences worldwide.  

Salvadoran-American mezzo-soprano Karina Buruca-Kunda makes her Opera Arlington debut in Recuerdos. Based in Dallas, Texas and currently performs with The Dallas Opera, as both a member of the opera chorus and a featured artist in the company’s educational outreach. She most recently appeared as Cherubino in John Davies’ The Three Little Pigs, and in December 2025, she was featured in The Dallas Opera’s Annual Holiday Concert at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Recent operatic appearances include Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Germany, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia and Zita in Gianni Schicchi at Southern Methodist University, Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri with Voci nel Montefeltro Festival in Italy. Additional repertoire includes Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Angelina (La Cenerentola), Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), and Maddalena (Rigoletto). 

Sergio Cepeda, making his Opera Arlington debut in Recuerdos, is acclaimed for his exciting, passionate tenor voice and commanding stage presence. His performances on the operatic stage have taken him throughout the USA and Europe, including such roles as Tamino in The Magic Flute, Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Alfredo in La traviata, Romeo in Roméo et Juliette, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. Critics have praised his “beautiful tenor voice [that] handled Tamino’s music with elegance” as well as his “wonderful lyric tenor voice [of] pure honey... perfectly produced, and even throughout all of the registers.” 

Sergio’s professional mariachi career began at age 15, when he began training and performing as a guitarist and vocalist with members of Mariachi de Oro in Fort Worth, Mariachi Cobre of Tucson and Disney World/Epcot, Rigoberto Alfaro of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, and the brothers Jesús and José Hernandez of Mariachi Sol de México—all 3 ensembles considered among the most elite of their genre. At age 17, he took part in a life-changing event when Decca Records invited him to collaborate with the Fort Worth Symphony and the rising star tenor, Juan Diego Flórez, on the album Sentimiento Latino. Sergio’s performances for charity and fundraising events have helped raise over $600,000 for various local, national, and international organizations and disaster relief programs. 

Sergio’s most recent performances include an appearance on the Guest Artist Series presented by TCU at Van Cliburn Hall, The Juliet Letters with Neo Camerata, Flavio in Bellini’s Norma, Manuel Garcia in La Duda Satisfecha for Orchestra of New Spain, and Obadiah in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. He is also a regular performer with Timeless Concerts, as well as various roles with Fort Worth Opera. Sergio’s vocal studies earned him degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington, TCU, and University of North Texas.

Taiwanese pianist Chun-Syuan Wei has performed throughout Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States in solo, chamber, and collaborative settings. His recent recital engagements include appearances at Kawai Piano Gallery in Plano, the Mu Phi Epsilon Sunday Concert Series in Dallas, and Dallas College Eastfield.

His recent distinctions include the Absolute First Prize and Fantastic Technique Special Prize at the UK International Music Competition, the Distinguished Award at the 2026 IPPA International Piano Competition Final Round, and the Grand Prize at the New York International Young Musicians Competition.

In addition to his solo performances, Wei is active as a collaborative pianist and has been invited to accompany opera students at Dallas College’s North Lake campus. He has also presented recurring piano masterclasses at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the United Kingdom.