About
Mauricio Villanueva Espinosa was born in León but raised in San Luis Potosí, México. His love of music began with the music of his own country, México. He began his classical music studies in Guanajuato, México at the University of Guanajuato where he studied guitar, composition, voice and the culture and music history of Latin America. His love of Latin music led him to develop a second passion in dance. He studied dance professionally for 7 years, taking classes in jazz, tap, and salsa and ultimately dancing competitively in international salsa congresses.
After his training in México, Mauricio continued his education in Norway where he completed his Bachelor’s in Music from the University of Agder Music Conservatory and the Agder Folkehøgskole’s Jazz and Norwegian Folk Studies in Kristiansand, Norway. Mauricio also added to his training with a semester abroad at the Conservatorio di Musica Licinio Refice in Frosinone, Italy where he perfected his Italian. Mauricio completed a 2-year post-graduate residency in opera at the Flanders Operastudio.
Mauricio sang in Bang-up! Opera’s Grand Opera Night Tour and returned to the role of Ferrando in Così fan tutte with a Belgian spring tour of Bang-up! Opera’s production. Highlights of performances include Rodolfo in La Bohème, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, Visconti in Elle est moi und töte mich (a contemporary opera by Belgian composer Joris Blanckaert performed with Spectra Ensemble), Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and more. As both producer and performer, Mauricio also promotes the wealth of culture and arts of his native Mexico and Latin America abroad with his multimedia musical production ‘VIVA MEXICO’ touring in Norway and Belgium.
Mauricio moved to Miami, FL in 2016, and during this transition, Mauricio also launched and released his first Latin album, ConSentido, as a singer-songwriter, produced and recorded independently in Mexico and Miami, FL, USA. Mauricio has gained popularity in the community by working together with 3 times Grammy nominee Maestro José Negroni in his last production “Las Zarzuelas, Romanzas y Canciones de Arte Populares” performed in October 2017 at the Miami Dade County Auditorium with great success and a standing ovation.
Keeping achieving goals in the past years, such as being part of the Opera Naples Academy where Mauricio, worked side by side to improve his repertoire with renowned opera stars like Veronica Villarroel, Sheril Milnes, Bruce Ford, and conductor Ramón Tebar. Sang as a finalist for the New York Lyric Opera Theater National Vocal Competition at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and played the role of Count Almaviva from the Opera Ghost of Versailles at the Miami Music Festival, a very unique, modern, and timeless play written by John Corigliano.
Mauricio also debuted the role of Libertario Fuertes Labrador in one of the most acclaimed Latin Musical Theater piece since the ’80s called La Verdadera Historia de Pedro Navaja. Produced by Miami’s most recognized and respected Theater company Teatro Prometeo and directed by Stage Director Edgar Garcia. In the Role of Don Mariano in the Musical Play ‘Martí, versos de Cuba y Canciones de Libertad’ music by Oscar Gómez performed at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, as well as in the Role of Miguel Gonzales in ‘Sueños, An Exile Journey The Musical’ music and libretto by José Garrido, conducted by Maestro José Negroni.
Mauricio worked as a promoter and Artistic Director of the Opera Troupe Company Bang-up! Opera. Building a new community of culture, a community that perhaps through music wants to belong and be part of it by attending our ‘En Casa Concert Series’. A concept created to make a better and more loving community with opera.
During Covid-19 times in the year 2020, Mauricio developed a need to communicate to the masses about his experience in music throughout his life producing ‘Co-rompiendo Géneros‘ a new podcast dedicated to talking about the genre of world music and its ambassadors. Targeting an audience that needs it the most which are the Hispanic people around the world and creating an awareness of community engagement, unity, and diversity through the music.
Along with many projects in 2022, Mauricio debuted that summer as part of the ensemble for the Tony Award Winning Best Musical “In the Heights” a production of STAGES St. Louis. As well same year, Mauricio was part of the most recognized reality show in the world, La Voz México (The Voice).
Since 2022 and 2023 Mauricio has been an ambassador of the latin culture in St. Louis, Missouri as a professional salsa dancer and instructor. Performing all over the most important stages, festivals, and at the St. Louis International Salsa Bachata Congress, gaining admiration and appreciation for it. An advocate for a better community as a Teaching Artist for Dancing Classrooms StL, bringing the art of Ballroom dancing to elementary schools in St. Louis area.
Mauricio continues as an ambassador of the World Music being the creator, director and band leader of “ConSentido Project”, a music project that aims diversity in its fusion, by adding Mauricio’s global baggage in his repertoire, it creates bridges between cultures through the music.
Mauricio has been the lead singer for the Latin band ChiWahWah, a well-known and televised Norwegian-based Latin band founded in 2007.
