Nominated as a soloist for a Grammy® and a Latin Grammy®, mezzo soprano Laura Mercado-Wright loves singing opera, musical theater, choral music, chamber music, and even the blues. Her work has been lauded by the New York Times as “superb”, “dramatically astute” and “stunningly agile”.

After a quiet few years full of virtual projects recorded in her closet due to the pandemic, 2022 brings multiple performances with Conspirare, Vocal Arts Ensemble, Artefact Ensemble, and her debut with Austin Opera in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.

In 2011 Ms. Mercado-Wright performed the world-premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s cantata It Happens Like This, a role she has reprised multiple times since, including in 2015 at Carnegie Hall with The MET Chamber Ensemble.

As a member of the Grammy® Award-winning vocal ensemble Conspirare, she has performed as a soloist on numerous occasions, and can be heard on the Harmonium Mundi label recording of three recent releases.

Her work as one of four soloists on the recording project Elegia, by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz, was nominated for a Latin Grammy® in 2013. She also has received critical acclaim for her 50th anniversary performance of Luciano Berio’s Circles at the Tanglewood Music Festival, and her role as Saint Theresa II in Fours Saints in Three Acts with the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Ms. Mercado-Wright made her debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 2010 in An Evening of Cole Porter, sharing the stage with Broadway greats Jason Danieley and Kelli O’Hara, under the baton of Keith Lockhart.

She has appeared in performance with the MET Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, Tanglewood Music Festival, Ensemble Signal, Convergence Ensemble, Austin New Music Co-op, Voices of Change, Fort Worth Opera, Santa Fe Concert Association, Opera Piccola, Fort Worth Symphony, Plano Symphony, Voces Intimae, The Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, Cliburn at the Modern, Utah Festival Opera, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles New Music Festival with Southwest Chamber Ensemble, and the Slee Sinfonietta.

Operatic roles include Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, Amastre in Xerxes, Niklaus in Les Contes D’Hoffman, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte, Second and Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Meg Page in Falstaff, and both Meg and Jo in Mark Adamo’s Little Women.

In the world of new and experimental music, Ms. Mercado-Wright has participated in several world premieres in the past few years, including pieces from composers Gabriela Ortiz, Shawn Allison, Lembit Beecher, Jorge Soza, Vincent Manlove, Travis Weller, Brent Fariss, Andrew Stotlz, Sarah Dutcher, Graham Reynolds, and Pulitzer Prize winners Charles Wuorinen, Kevin Puts and Caroline Shaw.

She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of North Texas and a Master of Music degree from the University of Maryland, magna cum laude.

Classical guitarist, pedagogue and educator Dr. Isaac Bustos enjoys an extensive performing career that has taken him to Canada, Central America, Europe, China, and all over the US. Bustos has made several radio and television appearances and is in demand as clinician and master class teacher invited to perform in festivals around the globe including the Guitar Foundation of America Annual Convention, Panama Guitar Festival, Festival Internacional de Guitarra Monterrey and Festival del Noreste in Mexico. Isaac has appeared as soloist with the Orchestra of New Spain, The Baytown Symphony Orchestra, The Nicaraguan National Symphony Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro JoAnn Falletta.

Dr. Bustos has acquired top prizes in over 12 major international competitions, 7 of which are first prizes. Isaac premiered new guitar works by composers Nico Muhly, Blas Atehortúa, Samuel Zyman, Frank Wallace, Mark Cruz and Joe Williams II. In the Spring of 2019, he premiered a new concerto for guitar and orchestra, commissioned and dedicated to him, by American composer Peter Lieuwen under the baton of maestro Franz Anton Krager and the University of Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, Isaac also released the world-premiere of Peter Lieuwen’s Sonata for Guitar on MSR Classics, and a collection of Latin American works titled Canciones a mi Madre for Vgo Recordings.

Chamber music collaborations have included performances with the Grammy award-winning ensembles Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and Conspirare Choir, the Turtle Creek Chorale and legendary Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto. Bustos is also a founding member of the award-winning Texas Guitar Quartet and has released two critically acclaimed discs with the group. Highlights of the 2019-20 season include performances with the East Texas Symphony, Corpus Christi Symphony, and Rapide Symphony Orchestra.

Isaac holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from the University of New Hampshire, where he was the only guitarist to ever hold a full scholarship, a Master of Music degree and Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked under the guidance of renowned American guitarist Adam Holzman.

As an educator, his commitment to teaching is reflected in the success of his students whose prize-winning performances have included victories in the Eastfield Guitar Festival and competition, Brownsville Guitar Ensemble Competition, “Classical Minds” Guitar Competition, Houston Young Artist, East Carolina University Competition, Rosario Competition, Appalachian State Competition, Boston Guitar Fest International Competition and Guitar Foundation of America International Youth Competition. Dr. Bustos has been on faculty at Texas A&M University and was artistic director of the prestigious Texas A&M Guitar Symposium and competition. Isaac now currently serves on the faculty at the University of Texas – San Antonio Department of Music where he is head of guitar studies.

Dr. Bustos is an Augustine Strings Sponsored Artist and plays on a 2013 Martin Blackwell Double-top spruce guitar.