Mexican born composer, Daniel Catan died over the weekend according to the University of Texas’ Butler School of Music, where he was the composer-in-residence.
The 62 year old composer was well known in his native Mexico for his lyrical and romantic operas. He was also known for making history here, when he became in 1994 the first Mexican composer to have an opera produced in the U.S.
The San Diego Opera staged Catan’s ‘Rappaccini’s Daughter’ to great reviews. The success of this Catan’s produced opera led to his being asked to produce a commissioned piece, “Florencia”, for the Houston Grand Opera, the Los Angeles Opera and the Seattle Opera company.
Catan once again made history since this was the first ever Spanish-language opera commissioned by major U.S. opera companies.
