From Mattawa Orchard to Opera Stages Worldwide: Jose Iñiguez

Tenor Jose Iñiguez is passionate about two things: music and education.

Growing up in Mattawa, Washington, among 12 children with parents who were orchard workers, his father instilled in him the value of education as a vehicle to reach his goals.

The young boy who spotted a tenor performing on PBS, Iñiguez was captivated and knew then he wanted to sing.

According to his biography, José began singing at family events around the age of 12 and with his middle and high school choirs. It was during his senior year in high school that he entered a statewide vocal competition and discovered how thrilling it was to perform on stage.

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His gift has taken him to the award-winning Seattle Opera and the international stage.

But his orchard foreman father would insist José focus on a more practical career than the performance stage might offer.

Still, the talented Iñiguez chose to study music in college without the advantage of expensive private lessons and honed his skills under the tutelage of a retired opera singer from Munich, Jerry Halsey.

The Mattawa native would become unique for his blending of opera and Mariachi bolero.

Iñiguez is paying it forward through the organization he founded, Encanto Arts, which performs benefit concerts to create scholarship endowments at colleges and universities.

A passion for education and a desire to support of students' dreams of attending higher education have led to the establishment of four Iñiguez Family Scholarship Endowments at Wenatchee Valley College, Columbia Basin College, Central Washington University, and Eastern Washington University.

His music program, ENCANTO, has been performed in theaters in Washington state and Mexico, including Benaroya Hall in Seattle. ENCANTO takes the audience on a cultural journey that pairs opera arias and classical piano with mariachi bolero. Iñiguez has a vocal range and power that has been described as spine-tingling and mesmerizing. Encanto Arts employs over 500 artists each year, and Iñiguez is a teaching artist with Seattle Opera.

Over the last 5 years the Opera singer from Mattawa has been recognized for his cultural contributions with numerous awards and nominations

• 2016 Univision Seattle Latin Music Artist Award 
• 2017 Central Washington University Leader-under-40 Award.
• 2018 recipient of the Seattle Metropolitan Latino Chamber of Commerce Leader Award
• 2019 winner of the Mid-Columbia Libraries & Tri-Cities Latino Community Network's Latino Leader Award for support of education.  
• 2020, recognized by STSGE for bringing Concierto Novideño to Catedral Basílica Menor de Colima, Mexico
• 2022, recognized by El Benemérito Conservatorio de Música del Estado de Puebla for bringing his Encanto program to Puebla, Mexico, the first live public concert after COVID-19.
• 2023, recognized by the Governor of the State of Colima, Mexico, for leadership in the State of Colima and the City of Pasco Cooperation Agreement.
• 2024, named Seattle Magazine's 25th most influential person in the Puget Sound.

Not bad for a kid from Mattawa, indeed!