Encanto Flagship Program
Encanto Concierto En Vivo!
Encanto Arts has brought its acclaimed program to audiences across the country, from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Mexico. Experience the breathtaking journey crafted by Encanto's creator and Executive Director, Jose Iniguez, blending the ethereal beauty of opera arias and classical piano with the charm of Mariachi Bolero. The result is a one-of-a-kind event where up to five different languages can be heard.
A special guest artist is always featured, adding to the unforgettable experience.
Many Encanto Concierto attendees choose to support the cause by donating to Encanto Arts. These generous contributions help fund the organization's established endowments as well as our programming, which benefit uniion musicians , universities and farm working families. Join us in celebrating the beauty of music while making a meaningful impact on communities near and far.
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Your support for the arts has the power to inspire and transform young minds, fueling their dreams and igniting their creativity. The arts bring people together, breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of community.
If you share our passion for the arts and would like to bring the magic of Encanto Concierto to your own community, we would be honored to work with you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us and explore the possibilities of collaboration. Together, we can cultivate a brighter future for the next generation and beyond.
Encanto Concierto Artists
Jacqueline Itzel Medina Green - Soprano
Jacqueline Itzel Medina Green (b. 1995) is a Mexican-American soprano from Othello, Washington, born from Mexican parents who came to the United States as immigrants. She joined choir as an 8th grader and continued to sing in choirs throughout high school and beyond. Jacqueline represented Othello High School at two All-Northwest conference choirs in 2011 and 2013. Although a life-long singer, Jacqueline began her formal music training in 2013 at Columbia Basin College with Dave Cazier, and is featured in three vocal jazz albums recorded by the college’s vocal ensemble Free Form. In 2016, Jacqueline transferred to Central Washington University to continue her studies in Vocal Performance and Music Education. During her time at Central, Jacqueline took voice lessons with Dr. Gayla Blaisdell, and sang in the CWU Chamber Choir under Dr. Gary Weidenaar, Vocal Jazz 1 under Vijay Singh, the CWU Opera Ensemble, and Mariachi del Centro.
Jacqueline has made appearances in CWU opera’s production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea. Jacqueline also performed the roles of Girl in Michael Torke’s Strawberry Fields and Fiametta in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Gondoliers. In addition to her appearances in collegiate operatic performances, Jacqueline has performed at Benaroya Hall and Carnegie Hall with the CWU chamber choir. She was featured as a soloist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra in February 2023 where she performed the role of Anita in Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Concert Suite No. 2 conducted by Lawrence Golan. Jacqueline made her debut as an international soloist in September 2024 when she travelled to Colima with Encanto Arts to perform with the State Symphony, under the direction of Miguel Angel Alatorre. Jacqueline currently sings with the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers under the direction of Justin Raffa, and Chor Anno under the direction of Dr. Nicole LaMartine and Howard Meharg. In addition to professional choral singing, Jacqueline performs as a classical soloist with Mid-Columbia Opera. She is also the vocalist for the Stephanie Steele Jazz Quintet +.
Aside from singing, Jacqueline is an elementary music teacher in the Moses Lake School District, where she has been teaching since fall of 2020. She enjoys working with young children, inspiring them to love and appreciate music. She is passionate about bringing joy to children through the power of music. She currently resides in Moses Lake with her husband, Nelson Green, and their pet cat, Bootsy Bandit.
José Iñiguez - Tenor
A gifted musician and award-winning Latin music artist. Born as the seventh of 11 children to a Mexican immigrant foreman at an orchard in the small town of Mattawa, Washington, José's childhood was marked by hard times. Despite this, traditional Mexican music was something his large family could all enjoy together. At the age of 12, José began singing at family events, and he later joined middle and high school choirs. Watching an opera performance on PBS sparked his interest in classical music, and during his senior year of high school, he entered his first state vocal contest, discovering his inner drive to perform
Despite his father's insistence on a practical career, José chose to study music in college, under the guidance of Vocal Professor Sydney Knesselroad, Ph.D. Though he faced challenges due to the lack of musical foundation afforded by private lessons, José persevered and honed his skills under Jerry Halsey, a retired Munich Opera singer, becoming one of the only tenors in the nation to combine opera and Mariachi bolero music in his concerts.José's talent has been recognized through numerous awards and nominations, including the Univision Seattle Latin Music Artist Award in 2016 and the Central Washington University Leader-under-40 Award in 2017. In 2018, he received the Seattle Metropolitan Latino Chamber of Commerce Leader Award, and in 2019, he was recognized with the Mid-Columbia Libraries & Tri-Cities Latino Community Network's Latino Leader Award for his work in business and his support of education. In 2020, Iñiguez was recognized by STSGE for his work in bringing Concierto Novideño to Catedral Basílica Menor de Colima, Mx. In 2022, Iñiguez was recognized by El Benemérito Conservatorio de Música del Estado de Puebla for bringing his Encanto program to Puebla, Mexico, in support of the first live public concert since COVID-19. In 2023, he was recognized by the Governor of the State of Colima, Mtra. Indira Viscaíno Silva, for leadership in playing an integral role in the State of Colima and the City of Pasco Cooperation Agreement. In 2024, he was selected by Seattle Magazine as the 25th most influential person in the Puget Sound.
José's passion for education and his support of students' dreams of attending higher education have led him to establish four Iñiguez Family Scholarship Endowments at Columbia Basin College, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University and Wenatchee Valley College. Through his music program, ENCANTO, which has taken place in major theaters in Washington state and Mexico, as well as at the renowned Benaroya Hall in Seattle, José takes the audience on a cultural journey that pairs the ethereal beauty of opera aria and classical piano with the charm of mariachi bolero. His vocal range and power have been described as spine-tingling and mesmerizing. José currently serves as the Executive Director of Encanto Arts that employ's up to 500 artists a year and is a Teaching Artist for the Seattle Opera.
Justin Raffa - Choral Director
Since his arrival in the Tri-Cities in summer 2008, Justin has focused on enhancing the quality of life in his community through arts and culture. In addition to his primary role as Artistic Director of the Mid-Columbia Mastersingers, Justin served for several years as Chorusmaster of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Manager of the Mid-Columbia Symphony, and Chorusmaster of the Oregon East Symphony in Pendleton, OR. Justin has also served as an actor, music director and board member with Mid-Columbia Musical Theatre, music director with Columbia Basin College Summer Showcase productions, and Minister of Music at All Saints Episcopal Church in Richland. He is a former board member with the Washington State and Northwest Region chapters of the American Choral Directors Association. Additionally, Justin has been an adjudicator for festivals and competitions for regional music and theatre education associations and is the former chair of the City of Richland’s Arts Commission. A South Jersey native proud of his Sicilian heritage, Justin holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education with a vocal concentration from Westminster Choir College in Princeton NJ and a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from University of Arizona in Tucson.
Justin has sung as part of the Berkshire Choral Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Voces Novae et Antiquae, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Male Ensemble Northwest, and continues to perform with both the Festival Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival and True Concord Voices & Orchestra in Tucson of which he is a founding member. As a tenor with the Westminster Symphonic Choir under Joseph Flummerfelt, Justin sang with some of the world's leading conductors and orchestras. In the Pacific Northwest, Justin sings with Chor Anno, Polyphony Plus, and the Tacoma Bach Festival, three regional ensembles made up of professional choral musicians.
Justin is a passionate advocate for the arts and currently serves as the immediate past chair of the board of the Washington State Arts Commission. The City of Richland Arts Commission honored him with its 2011 award for Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Arts. He was an eight year board member with the Arts Center Task Force, whose goal is to build a much needed Performing Arts Center for the Tri-Cities. Justin is the current board chair with Leadership Tri-Cities, President-Elect of the Richland Rotary Club, and can be seen as a frequent performer and emcee for many charitable events across his community. He has been awarded as the Washington State 2013 Outstanding Emerging Choral Conductor, the Columbia Basin Music Educators Association 2014 Friend of Music, and is a graduate of Leadership Tri-Cities Class 19. Outside of the arts, Justin is a member of the City of Richland’s Board of Adjustment, the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Local Government Affairs Committee, and proudly stood as a candidate for for public office in 2020. Justin lives with his partner of eighteen years Molly Holleran, singer and voice teacher extraordinaire, in a beautiful 1940s H
Miguel Angel Alatorre - Conductor
He began his is musical studies at the age of 10 at the University Institute of Fine Arts in Colima, Mexico. Later, he started his studies in Orchestral Conducting at the Bachelor's level with Maestro Anatoly Zatín. He holds a degree in Administrative and Financial Strategies from I.M.P. and a Postgraduate degree in Cultural Policies and Cultural Management from UAMI. He is currently a graduate of the Master's in Musical Direction from UTP.
He has undertaken studies such as: Seminar in Orchestral Conducting, Applied Music Informatics, 1st Course in Choral Conducting in Colima, Master Class in Orchestra and Band Conducting, International Masterclass in Orchestra and Band Conducting under the instruction of Maestro Francisco Navarro Lara in 2014 and 2015, Masterclass on Orchestra Conducting with Maestro Ricardo Averbach, Orchestra Conducting Training Workshop by the "Maestro Navarro Lara" school in Spain, Orchestra Conducting Course with Dr. Anatoly Zatín, Orchestra Conducting Course with Pablo Andrés Suárez Escobar from Colombia, and Orchestra Conducting and Symphonic Band Course with Marcos Martins Araujo from Brazil, to name a few.
In 1996, he was selected as an instrumentalist to represent his state in the Eighth National Meeting of Youth Orchestras at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. In 2007, he was selected as the winner of the Artistic Creation and Development Stimulus Program of Colima, FECA 2007, in the category of Cultural Heritage diffusion. In 2014, he was awarded the University Merit Medal by UAMI in Mexico City. In 2015, he was selected to participate in the 2nd edition of the Orchestral Conducting Course in Mexico City, led by Maestro Kenneth Kiesler and Maestra Alondra de la Parra. In 2017, he was invited as a guest conductor to lead the Wind Orchestra of the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. In the same year, he received the "Profr. Jorge Castell Guerrero" Teaching Merit Medal from the City Council of Colima, Mexico. In 2018, he was invited as a Guest Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Conservatory of Music in Puebla, as well as the Youth Symphony Orchestra and Youth and Children's Orchestra of Cuautlancingo, Puebla. He also received invitations as a Guest Director in Colombia and Argentina in the same year. In 2019, he received the "To Civic Merit, the Best of Colima" distinction for his artistic-musical trajectory from the "Best of Colima" Foundation. In 2020, he was invited to participate as a speaker and academic director in the Master Class in Orchestral Conducting in Peru. In 2021, he was appointed honorary director of the K-Orchestra by the organizing committee K-Classis of South Korea, and a guest conductor by the Encanto Art Association of Seattle, Washington, for the concert "The Two Tenors" held at the Ricardo Castro Theater in Durango, Mexico. He also received recognition for Academic Merit as a graduate of the Master's in Musical Direction from the Tito Puente University. In 2022, he received the Artistic Merit Award "Rafael Heredia Velasco 2022" from the City Council of Villa de Álvarez, Colima, Mexico, for outstanding achievements in the educational and cultural field. In 2022, 2023, and 2024, he was invited as a guest conductor at the COPA Fiery Food Festival and Mid-Columbia Symphony Sunset Concert in Pasco, Washington. In 2024, he was selected to participate in the LACCI - Los Angeles International Conducting Competition 2024.
He joined the Music Band of the State Government at the age of 17 and currently holds the position of Artistic Director since April 2016. He has served as a professor at the University of Colima in the Faculty of Education Sciences and as a official in the position of Director of Education and Culture. Currently, he is a teacher at the Secretary of Education at the Secondary level in the subject of Expression and Art Appreciation, and he has won choir competitions since 1997 at the municipal, state, and national levels.