Texas Public Radio is set to premiere a new opera by composer Nathan Felix on April 30, 2021.

The work, entitled “Ribas-Dominicci,” will be presented as part of Texas Public Radio’s “Daystream” series. The opera is set to star mezzo-soprano Kate Shelton and baritone Lee Bailey Farrar.

“Ribas-Dominicci” is inspired by the life of Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force who was killed during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986. On April 15, the pilot was given orders from President Regan for an air raid on Libya where he was shot down. Two years later, Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, offered to release the body of co-pilot Paul Lorence (after denying that he had the body of either pilot). When the body was received, it was identified as that of Ribas-Dominicci. Since his passing the airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico has been renamed in his honor.

The libretto for “Ribas-Dominicci” was written by Felix in collaboration with Blanca Ribas, the pilot’s widow.

Among Felix’s other operatic compositions are “Alien Wanderers: Alien World” and “A Dream is a Dream is a Dream…”