Events

The Songs That Raised Me is a one-hour musical storytelling program featuring Jesús Daniel Hernández, The Walking Tenor, tracing my journey from childhood in Juárez to military service and ultimately to the opera stage. The program begins with the Mexican songs that shaped my earliest memories: the music of home, family, and my grandmother listening as I sang in my room, trying to imitate the voices of old Mexican singers like Pedro Infante. From there, the concert moves into songs of heritage, land, and ancestry, including Dios nunca muere, honoring the roots and memories that remain alive through family and song. The middle of the program explores love, distance, and time through Mexican classics such as Te quiero, dijiste and El reloj, before turning toward the experience of leaving home and serving in the Army with songs like Danny Boy and You’ll Never Walk Alone. The final section follows my path into the classical world, including Malia by Tosti and No puede ser from La tabernera del puerto, the aria I sang for Plácido Domingo in San Antonio — a moment that helped open the door to my opera career. The program closes with My Way, reflecting on a life shaped by family, service, loss, courage, and song. As an encore, I return to the guitar with Cielito Lindo, bringing the journey back home with warmth, hope, and the familiar invitation to “sing and don’t cry.”