Librettist John de los Santos was commissioned in 2015 by Washington National Opera’s
American Opera Initiative with composer Christopher Weiss. The resulting piece, Service
Provider, premiered at The Kennedy Center, and has since been performed across the
country. His first collaboration with composer Clint Borzoni, When Adonis Calls, premiered
under John’s direction at Asheville Lyric Opera. His second libretto with Borzoni, The
Copper Queen, premiered as an award-winning feature film with Arizona Opera in 2021,
and was staged by him the following year. Their third piece, The Christmas Spider,
premiered under his direction at Opera Louisiane in 2023. He also wrote The Roost,
composed by Marc Migó, for UrbanArias and Eden, composed by Nicolas Reveles, for San
Diego Opera, both of which he directed. John and composer Jorge Sosa’s Ofrenda: A ‘Día de
Muertos’ Story was selected for the first Opera ATX Residency for Latinx Creatives
Initiative. John is currently a librettist with Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, where
he is working on an operatic adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery. As a
director/choreographer, John has also staged productions with Santa Fe Opera, Minnesota
Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Mostly Modern Festival, and the Manhattan School of Music. He
served as Librettist-in-Residence for Opera Lab at The Julliard School, and currently
teaches at the Yale School of Music.