Encanto Arts Music Classes

Internationally acclaimed baritone José Rubio has garnered attention performing at major and regional venues across the world. Mr. Rubio's recent international operatic engagements have included his operatic debuts in Germany at the Berlin Staatsoper, the famed Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg, and in Vienna at the historic Ronacher Theater. He is among the first westerners in the world to sing leading roles in contemporary Chinese Operas which have led to his debuts at the most important opera houses in China, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Shanghai Grand Theater, and the Jiangsu Grand Theater in Nanjing.  His operatic credits include the title roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Gianni Schicchi. Other credits include Escamillo in Carmen, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Marcello and Schaunard in La Bohème, Guglielmo in Così fan Tutte, Tarquinius in The Rape of Lucretia, Tonio in I Pagliacci, Alfio in Cavalleria Rusticana, Hannah Before in As One, El Payador in Maria de Buenos Aires, and Dr. Falke in Die Fledermaus. His leading credits include principal roles for Cincinnati Opera, Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Nashville Opera, Alamo City Opera, Asheville Lyric Opera, Tacoma Opera, Vashon Opera, Juneau Lyric Opera, Pacific Northwest Opera and Bellevue City Opera among others.​

On the concert stage he has given recitals at Carnegie Hall, The Tianjin Julliard School, and the New Mexico State University. He has recently made his solo debuts at the Lincoln Center in NYC, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. He has been a guest soloist with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Evansville Philharmonic, the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, the Rogue Valley Symphony and with the US China Music Institute of Bard.  Upcoming performances include multiple world premieres including an opera Tres Minutos with Music of Remembrance in Seattle and San Francisco, a cantata based on the New York Times best seller A Wolf Called Romeo with the Juneau Orpheus Project, a Chinese language chamber piece Fantasy on Tang Poetry, commissioned for baritone at the Tianjin Julliard School, his debut with the Boise Philharmonic, and his Lincoln Center debut for a Chinese New Years concert with Orchestra Now.

José is a rare talent, blending opera and mariachi bolero into truly mesmerizing performances. His vocal range and power have been described as spine‑tingling, leaving audiences breathless. He was nominated for the Governor’s Individual Heritage Award in 2015 and named a Latin Music Artist by Univision in 2016.

At his ENCANTO concerts in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, José and his fellow artists take listeners on a cultural journey, pairing opera arias and classical piano with mariachi bolero. His community leadership has earned him numerous honors, including the Central Washington University Leader‑Under‑40 Award (2017), an honorary Seattle Metropolitan Latino Chamber of Commerce Leader Award (2018), and the Mid‑Columbia Libraries & Tri‑Cities Latino Community Network Latino Leader Award (2019). In 2020, he was recognized by STSGE for bringing “Concierto Novideño” to the Catedral Basílica in Colima, Mexico. In 2022, the Conservatorio de Música del Estado de Puebla honored him for bringing ENCANTO to Puebla as their first live public concert post‑COVID. In 2023, he was acknowledged by the Governor of Colima, and in 2024, Seattle Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential people in the Puget Sound.  José’s dedication to education is equally impressive. He has established four Iniguez Family Scholarship Endowments (at Columbia Basin College, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, and Wenatchee Valley College), and uses proceeds from his concerts to help students reach higher education. His work has been featured on PBS and continues to inspire.  As a teacher, José focuses on breathing technique, diaphragm work, and vocal mechanics, especially for bass and lower‑voiced students — a distinct and valuable specialization.