(singing in foreign language) - Detroit Opera has been on the cutting edge of operas, trying innovative things, taking chances in opera, and that mission still continues today with the season that is coming up.

What is on the menu for the season that starts on October 7th?

- We have something for everyone.

We have great opera selection, so we're starting the season with "Madame Butterfly," a new production of that.

And then we're going to do John Cage's "Europeras," and then we're doing Missy Mazzoli's "Breaking the Waves," one of her most successful operas.

It's a gorgeous piece, a very, very powerful piece.

And then we close out the opera season with "The Cunning Little Vixen" by Leos Janacek.

- What's different about these operas this season?

- We've sort of taken an interesting view on how we present opera and dance, and it really is based on doing things a little bit differently, with a little twist.

So it might be Madama Butterfly, a piece that was written a long time ago by Puccini, but there's something interesting about it, or different about it, or a different view on it.

- Why is it so important for the Detroit Opera to re-present these operas in new and innovative ways?

- Well, because opera is a living and breathing art form, and if we don't try and reflect and adapt in how we present these pieces, we sort of become stagnant, or not relevant to today's society.

(singing in foreign language) - So that's everything that's happening on the stage here at the Detroit Opera, but the Detroit Opera goes beyond the stage and into the community.

- When I took this job, I really wanted to focus on having the orchestra musicians play outside of the pit.

I thought, well, we should really go out into the community and feature our orchestra, and we came up with this "Beyond the Pit" series.

- Tell us a little bit about your education program , and your developing program for professionals.

- We try to reach as many people as possible by doing, you know, school programs.

And as I told you, the "Beyond the Pit" series is going to take place in a high school in sort of the Latin area of Detroit, which I feel has been maybe a little bit neglected.

So as a Mexican, it was important to me that we really feature our orchestra there.

And as you said, developing young talent.

(singing in foreign language) - Roberto, it seems that it's very important to you to champion for diversity in the orchestra, on the stage, in the audience, and beyond.

Why is that so important for you?

- Well, I think, I like to think that opera and classical music is for everyone.

And so with that spirit, it's important that people that are on stage and the people that we are catering to are as diverse as possible.

So I do think that we do a wonderful effort to really diversify our casts and really feature programming that caters to everyone.

- So we've heard so much about the Detroit Opera, what's happening on the stage, in the community, the education component of Detroit Opera, but let's get to know a bit more about you, the maestro.

How did you venture into the world of conducting?

- I went to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and one of my friends convinced me to go to the opera, and it was the first opera that I had ever seen.

It was "Fidelio," by Beethoven.

And I remember after the overture, the curtain went up, and there's a very cute duet, and as soon as they started singing, I fell in love instantly, like, because I realized that opera is about all of us, and the way the music and the drama reflected our society in a very natural way, and very direct way, made me fall in love with it.

- How does it feel for you now to conduct the orchestra, to know that there's this major production happening and this audience is experiencing it?

What do you feel when you're on the podium?

- I would say that it feels, it's the closest to making magic that one can get, because with a great orchestra, your gesture influences sound in an immediate and direct way, but I adore what I do.

I wouldn't change it for anything.

- What are you hoping this season that people take away from their experience at the opera?

- You're in an audience with 3,000 other people.

Okay.

And so, you feel the energy of everyone when you're experiencing it, but really the experience is only for you.

The lights dim, and we're all making this show happen for you.

And so that feeling of like, this is your story, I want every person in Detroit to feel that, like we do it for you alone.

(classical string music)