Jesús Daniel Hernández, tenor 

 

was born and raised in Juarez Mexico, and moved to the United States as a teenager. In 2003 Mr Hernández chose to enlist in the US Army, and soon after, volunteered to serve in a Chemical Unit being deployed to Iraq. In 2007, a chance encounter with Plácido Domingo in San Antonio, TX changed his life. After a concert given by Maestro Domingo, Specialist Hernández asked if he could sing for the great tenor to see what the Maestro thought of his voice. Upon hearing the young soldier sing, Maestro Domingo invited the tenor to join the prestigious Plácido Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program with the Washington National Opera. After an honorable discharge in 2008, Mr Hernández moved to Washington, DC to pursue his boyhood dream of being a professional singer. While a participant in the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program, Mr Hernández performed with The Washington National Opera in the productions of Lucrezia Borgia-G. Donizetti, La Traviata-G. Verdi (YA), Falstaff-G. Verdi (WNO Look-In), Marriage of Figaro-W. Mozart, and in Hamlet-A. Thomas. Mr Hernandez’s other roles have included performances in Rigoletto-G. Verdi, La Boheme-G. Puccini, The Merry Widow-F. Lehar, A hand of Bride-S. Barber, Pulcinella-I. Stravinsky, Andrea Chenier-H. Giordano, and the zarzuela El duo de la Africana. His experience includes concert performances for NEA Opera Honors ceremonies, the Horatio Awards at the United States Supreme Court, and numerous concerts in Europe. Read more in coming programs.