Arizona Opera presenting its 2nd mariachi opera, this one with a Christmas story

“El Milagro” is the third mariachi opera commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, with Foglia as librettist for all three. Martinez composed the music for “Cruzar” and was nearly finished with the followup, “El Pasado Nunca Se Termina,” when he became ill in 2015 and his son, Javier Martinez, stepped in to finish it.

The senior Martinez, who led Mariachi Vargas for nearly 40 years, died in 2016.

Foglia said when he proposed “El Milagro” to Houston Opera, they turned again to Javier Martinez.

“The Houston Grand Opera gave me the chance to continue the legacy of my father with this opera,” Martinez said from his home in Mexico City in November.

In “El Milagro,” Laurentino (Moreno) returns home in 1962 to Michoacán after working as a bracero (seasonal worker) in the United States. His wife, Renata (Duarte), starts in on him about his long stretches away from home as Laurentino tries to convince her that he wants only to provide for his family.

“These precious moments you can’t get back,” Foglia said of the story’s core theme. “In a way it’s no different than parents working away from their children, but in this case the men are gone for months at a time.”

Martinez said the music is a mix of mariachi, American classic rock, some Broadway, flamenco and pop music.