The Performing Arts Laboratory is set to launch a special edition of its “A Coffee with Diego series” featuring Colombian composer Raúl Esteban Ardila Pineda on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 5 p.m. EST.

Hosted by Maestro Diego Barbosa-Vásquez, the conversation will explore Ardila Pineda’s career as a composer spanning opera, symphonic music, chamber music, band, and multidisciplinary performance, as well as the creative process behind his upcoming opera Buscando/Seeking El Dorado. The discussion will be conducted in Spanish and will include a live Q&A.

“Buscando/Seeking El Dorado,” which was developed through the Opera Camp Composition & Libretto Program, where composers and librettists collaboratively create new operatic works with professional mentorship, workshops, and international premiere opportunities, will receive its world premiere with Bloomington Opera Camp on June 6, 2026. Following the premiere, the opera will tour through PAL’s international allied orchestra network and will become available for rental beginning June 7 through CommunityOperaScores.