Florencia en el Amazonas (English title: Florencia in the Amazon) is an opera in two acts composed by Daniel Catán. It contains elements of magical realism in the style of Gabriel García Márquez and uses a libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain, one of his pupils. The characters are inspired by García Márquez, but the story is not drawn directly from any of his works. Florencia was co-commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, and Seattle Opera and premiered in Houston on October 25, 1996. It was the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned by major United States opera houses. Performance history Jointly commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera and Seattle Opera, Florencia en el Amazonas had its world premiere at the Wortham Theater Center on 26 October 1996 performed by Houston Grand Opera. The production was directed by Francesca Zambello with sets designed by Robert Israel. The production subsequently opened at Los Angeles Opera in 1997, and then at Seattle Opera in 1998. In 1999 it was performed in concert version by the Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and received its European premiere in 2006 at the Theater Heidelberg in Germany in a new production directed by Michael Beyer. The opera has had multiple performances in the United States in the 21st century. These include its revivals at Houston Grand Opera in 2001 and 2019, Seattle Opera in 2005, and Los Angeles Opera in 2014 and company premieres at Florida Grand Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Colorado, Utah Opera, Washington National Opera, Nashville Opera, Arizona Opera, New York City Opera, the University of Illinois School of Music, and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. In the 2021-2022 season, it will be the first Spanish-language opera to be performed in a mainstage season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Roles Synopsis Act 1 The title character, Florencia Grimaldi, is a famous opera soprano returning to her homeland to sing at the opera house in Manaus with the hope that her performance will attract her lover Cristóbal, a butterfly hunter who has disappeared into the jungle. She boards the steamboat El Dorado for a trip down the Amazon River, along with several passengers who are traveling to hear her sing. The passengers, however, are unaware of her identity. One of them, Rosalba, is a journalist planning to write a book about Grimaldi and hoping to interview her. In preparation,