Opera at Your School (OperaTunity) - Phoenix 2027
The Coyotes & The Rabbits
Arlyn M. Brewster OperaTunity Program
Music & Lyrics by Héctor Armienta
Inspired by Mexican folk tales
The Coyotes & The Rabbits by Héctor Armienta is a one-act bilingual opera inspired by a traditional Mexican folktale. The story follows the playful Chiquita Banana Sisters as they outsmart two very different coyotes, Scrawny Coyote and his cousin, Loco Coyote.
As the sisters use their creativity and teamwork to stay one step ahead, Scrawny Coyote begins to discover that knowledge, especially learning to read, can be just as powerful as strength.
Filled with humor, music and meaningful lessons, this charming opera celebrates friendship, imagination, and the importance of learning in a way that is perfect for elementary students.
The Details
We can’t wait to visit your school! OperaTunity brings engaging, student-friendly mini-opera experiences right to your students. No field trip required!
Booking Limit: You may reserve up to two performances. We encourage booking both on the same day whenever possible, however alternate dates can be arranged.
Show Length: 40 minutes including a Q&A session
Language: English
Grades: K-5
Rating: G
Cost: FREE for Title I Schools, All others: $400 (1 performance) | $600 (2 performances)
Location Requirements: 20ft wide, 20ft deep, 9ft tall space at your school.
Provided Materials: Teacher Resource Guide with Lesson Plans
Load in and load out time needed: 30 minutes
NOW OPEN: 2027 REGISTRATION
- Find your school’s ZIP code and locate its corresponding color on the map.
- Click your color below to schedule your program.
If you have any questions or run into any issues, please contact kzeimet@azopera.org.
2025/26 Arlyn M. Brewster Education Teaching Artists
Jaqueline Alcocer, Chiquita Rabbit
Dramatic soprano Jaqueline Alcocer received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Northern Arizona University. There she sang the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Signora Nacarelli in Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza, and Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring. As a mezzo-soprano undergraduate, she sang Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, and Mother Bayard in Hindemith’s A Long Christmas Dinner. At Chandler-Gilbert Community College she began performing musical theater roles such as, Sour Kangaroo (Seussical), Mama Noah (Children of Eden), and Marmee (Little Women).
In the fall of 2021, she performed in Munich, Germany, as a winner of the annual Hidalgo Festival. Recently she sang Second Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Arizona Lyric Theatre. Upcoming engagements include covering the title role in Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Valley Opera and singing with the Arizona Opera Chorus in Madama Butterfly.
Joshua Giles, Scrawny Coyote
An African American lyric tenor from Sawyerville, Alabama, Joshua is known for his brilliant tone and musical versatility. Gracing various classical and non-classical stages alike, he is celebrated as a diverse performer and vocalist. Currently, he is pursuing a Masters Degree in Opera Performance at Arizona State University. While there he has performed the roles of Manuel Garcia (Notes on Viardot), Bill (Flight) and also made ensemble appearances in musicals Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Mutt: A New Musical Comedy.
Joshua is also a celebrated performer of international appeal. In 2023, he won Music International Grand Prix’s scholarship to attend the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. There he performed as a soloist and duettist with highlight performances including Una furtiva lagrima in the AIMS Festival Orchestra Concert, Amen for the Spiritual's Concert, and The Cherry Duet for the Buona Sera Graz Italian Opera Gala. In 2025, within the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, near the Valmarecchia area, he toured and performed the role of the Duke (Rigoletto).
Sponsored by the Theodore R. Stephan Teaching Artist Endowment Fund
Héctor Armienta, composer (hectorarmienta.com)
“Armienta’s score is lush with cultural influences that highlight the vast musical palette of Latin and Hispanic artistic traditions.” – The Classical Review (Review of Armienta’s Zorro)
Composer Héctor Armienta considers himself neither Mexican nor American, but Mexican American. His work exists in and in between these two worlds. Drawing on his training as a classical composer, his mission is to reinvent classical music by incorporating musical forms from both sides of the border. Whether it be Mariachi, music Azteca, or corridos (folk songs) from the fields of central California, you can find elements of this music in much of his work. This approach allows him to explore what it means to be Mexican American through the lens of classical music and opera.
Armienta’s notable projects include Bless Me Ultima at Opera Modesto, Zorro at Fort Worth Opera and Opera Santa Barbara, La Muerte at Ópera Cultura, and Mi Camino – an animated opera film that premiered at Ópera Cultura. Upcoming engagements include two new productions of Zorro at Opera San Jose and Arizona Opera, The Coyotes and Rabbits - A Bilingual Children's Opera with Arizona Opera, as well as an immersive VR opera project titled Campesinos.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Armienta is one of the few Chicano opera composers to have had his work performed nationally and internationally. His awards and commissions include those from Meet the Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Pacific, Arts International, the Pacific Symphony, Opera Southwest, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and Western Stage Theater. His work for orchestra, theater, and opera has received support from six NEA grants in artistic excellence. He was recently awarded a 2022 CCSRE Arts Mellon Fellowship at Stanford University and a 2021 Map Fund award.
Armienta is also the founder and director of Ópera Cultura whose mission is to explore music theater and opera through a cross-cultural lens. He holds a B.M. degree in composition from California Institute of the Arts and an MM degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He also holds a seat on the board of Opera America as Vice Chair and is Co-Chair of the Civic Practice Committee.
