For questions about entering Concurso San Miguel, and general information, please contact Adriana Escobar, Administrative Director of Ópera de San Miguel at: aescobar@operasanmiguel.org or call 01-669-136-0513 or cellular, 044-415-115-8066.
For more information on Ángeles de la Ópera, please contact Shari Alexander at: salexander@operasanmiguel.org.
For more information and general questions about how to join The FAN Club of Ópera de San Miguel, please contact Gail Lowenstein at: glowenstein@operasanmiguel.org
Board of DirectorsCecilio Garza LimÓn
President
John Bills
Vice-President and Artistic Director
Shari Alexander
Secretary and Director, Ángeles
de la Ópera
Sheila Sheehan
Treasurer
Gail Lowenstein
Director, The FAN Club
MARIA SANCHEZ LOZANO
Director, Marketing and Community Relations
Claudia Escalante Kay
Álvaro Nieto
Ali Zerriffi
AcknowledgmentsJoseph McClain
Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus
Artistic Director
John Bills, Artistic Director
Between 1977 and 2004, tenor John Bills sang in literally thousands of performances at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City under virtually every major conductor of his day. He can be heard on CDs and DVDs with colleagues such as Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, and Luciano Pavarotti. He sang with Mr. Pavarotti in New York’s Central Park before a crowd of 75,000 and was chosen to solo with him and Mirella Freni in a gala performance of La Bohème. He is a founding judge of Concurso San Miguel and in 2010 became OSM Assistant Artistic Director. With the retirement of founder Joseph McClain in 2011, Bills was named by the Board of Directors to succeed him as Artistic Director. He lives in San Miguel with his wife Shari Alexander, who is active with OSM as Director of the Angels of the Opera. Mr. Bills is a regular correspondent for Pro Opera magazine in Mexico City.
Artistic and 
Mario Alberto Hernández, Resident Pianist and Coach
Since 2008, Opera San Miguel has been proud to have Maestro Hernández as its Resident Pianist and Coach. His inexhaustible energy, talent as a pianist, vast knowledge of operatic repertoire and style, and unique ability to communicate with his singers have made him invaluable to the Concurso. Originally from León, Gto., Maestro Hernández has been a Piano Accompanist/Coach and Assistant Conductor of the Festival Internacional Cervantino, the Festival of Sinaloa, and the Festival of the Ciudad de México and has participated in activities with the Orquesta Sinfónica of UNAM, the Filarmónica of Mexico City, and the Orquesta de Minería, of which he is Music Director. Since 1989, he has served on the faculty of the Escuela Superior de Música del INBA.
Alberto Pacheco, Company Manager
Joining our team in 2011, Alberto Pacheco brings more than 30 years experience as a graphic designer, computer expert, website designer, and team manager to his new post as Opera San Miguel’s Company Manager. His expertise is responsible for the redesign of our website, making it more efficient and user-friendly, and for streamlining all technical aspects of the organization. He is chief coordinator between the Artistic Team, the Administrative Team, and the Board of Directors and works closely with our Publicity and Community Relations Director. His graphic design skills will soon be evident in our advertising campaigns and our program design. In addition, Alberto’s enthusiasm, humor, energy, ability to supervise and coordinate the work of others, and bilingual translation skills make him an ideal choice as Company Manager. Born in Mexico City, Alberto lives in San Miguel de Allende with his wife Wendy, a magazine editor, and their Border Collie Mac. Their son Justin lives in Annapolis, Maryland, and their daughter Emily lives in New York City.
Adriana Escobar, Administrative Director
Adriana Escobar coordinates the logistics of Concurso San Miguel, organizing the application process, receiving the application materials, reserving audition spaces, scheduling the auditions, arranging transportation and housing for singers and judges, as well as serving as liaison between OSM, its contestants, and its staff. Her love of opera and her passion for the hopes and aspirations of our young singers are her driving force. Adriana was born in Mexico City and lived for extended periods in the United States, Canada, and Europe before returning to Mexico. She has a son who resides in Mazatlán and a daughter who lives in Portland, Oregon.