When Miami-raised Andy Acosta was in the sixth grade, he chose a chorus class as an elective. There, Acosta met Don Bennet, a retired opera singer and teacher, who quickly realized Acosta’s singing talent and gave him free opera lessons.
Fast forward two decades, and Acosta is a professional opera singer who now lives in San Diego and has traveled the world and performed at opera houses in Houston, Minnesota, San Francisco, Seattle and Italy.
“Singing has always been part of my life,” Acosta said. “There are videos of me singing when I was about 4 years old, and I was basically singing like salsa and merengue songs.”
No one else in his family sang, but Acosta said he was fortunate to find a mentor like Bennet who saw his raw talents and helped Acosta develop them. His first live performance was a competition Bennett signed him up for after working together for only one month. Acosta won.
“It was the beginning of me feeling what it was like to be a storyteller in front of an audience,” Acosta said. “I’ll never forget that.”
That first win led Acosta to a Spanish-language television show in Miami called “Minuto de Fama,” where he won a singing competition when he was around 14 or 15 years old. During his years at a performing arts high school, he won other singing events, which led him to get a full scholarship to Florida State University.
“I was really fortunate because my family really had no extra money to pay for school,” Acosta said. “I was the first one ever in my family to leave home and pursue a performing arts career.”
He also attended Indiana University to receive his master’s degree, and took as many acting classes as he could to prepare him for a career in opera. Acosta said he gravitated toward opera as a kid after watching “Don Giovanni” from New York’s Metropolitan Opera House on PBS.
“I think there was always the multicultural aspect of opera that was really fascinating to me and still is today,” Acosta, a Cuban first-generation American, said. “And it’s the sense of community of everyone showing up and being curious about different walks of life, different experiences.”
In July, Acosta will be reprising the lead role as Timothy Laughlin in the San Diego Opera’s production of “Fellow Travelers” for the first time in Southern California. It is a historical fiction opera that takes place in 1953 when U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy was investigating alleged communists in the United States government.
Laughlin is a recent “idealistic college graduate” and gets to Washington, D.C. to help McCarthy, but falls in love with another man from the state department, Acosta said. Acosta previously played the role of Laughlin at the Minnesota Opera in 2018, after being accepted to Minnesota Opera’s young artist program.
“I sat at my piano, and I read through the entire score in libretto (a little musical book in Italian), and I will never forget when I was done with it, sitting at my piano in my little apartment,” Acosta said. “I could not stop crying because I felt like this piece was so much of our queer history, wrapped up into a beautiful emotional story that I had never heard told this way before.”
Acosta added he wanted to play the difficult role because he sees his own personal story in Laughlin, and also to portray the sacrifices and the challenges of those who came before him so that he could be an openly gay man.
“It means the world to me that I have the opportunity to perform the role of Timothy (Laughlin) with the San Diego Opera in what I consider to be my forever hometown because it feels like this piece needs to be told now more than ever,” Acosta said. “Its beauty, sure, but more than anything, because of its message about the way that our history is repeating itself, but also how love has always been part of our story.”
Acosta, who is also a realtor when he is not performing on stages, first visited San Diego after his brother moved out here for work about seven years ago. Acosta fell in love with the city, and Acosta and his husband have lived in Hillcrest for the past six years.
“San Diego is one of the friendliest places on Earth to me, and Hillcrest is the gay heartbeat of San Diego,” Acosta said. “I had never felt as safe being openly gay and myself as I do in Hillcrest. It feels like everyone in Hillcrest has a desire to get to know people without it being a competition about status.”
Here are some of Acosta’s favorite places to visit and explore in Hillcrest.
Andy Acosta is an opera singer and real estate agent, who lives in Hillcrest. (Carlo Fiorillo)
Q: Where is your favorite dining option?
A: My favorite place to dine in Hillcrest is La Bonne Table on Fifth Avenue. I love that it is an intimate restaurant with about 10 tables and the same servers every night. They serve a small French menu that is incredibly delicious, and the service is always perfection. It is a must-try in Hillcrest. I always have to get whatever their special is because they have a rotating menu. I always get the cheese plate as well. And if they have the passion fruit spritz, I always get that as well.
San Diego, CA – Gioia’s Room in Hillcrest on Friday, June 5, 2026, in San Diego, CA. (Luke Johnson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: What is your favorite small retail business or pop-up vendor to support?
A: Gioia’s Room Boutique is an amazing spot in Hillcrest. Gioia’s style is amazing, and her presence in the community and all things Hillcrest is the cherry on top. It’s beautiful to see business owners who love what they do but also love lifting their community around them.
Q: Where is your favorite open space?
A: My favorite hiking path in Hillcrest is the Marston Canyon that connects from Vermont Street into the north part of Balboa Park. I love being in nature, and it’s a beautiful way to go from the bars and restaurants on University Avenue to a run or even a picnic in the Park.
The Hillcrest Pride Flag monument in Hillcrest as seen on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Where is the best piece of artwork or landmark?
A: It has to be the Pride Flag on University Avenue for me. I remember how I felt when I first moved to San Diego and saw that massive flag flying in the center of the city. It made me feel so safe and loved. It’s beautiful to live and work in a city with so much love for our queer folks and that is always a great reminder.
The Hillcrest Farmers Market as seen on Sunday, June 9, 2024. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Q: Where is your favorite entertainment attraction?
A: The Hillcrest Farmers Market is one of my favorite attractions. I love walking over to the market to grab some groceries and stroll through the pop-ups. It’s a fun way to support local vendors and run into friends in the neighborhood. It also reminds me of the European style of markets, where everyone knows each other and is always looking out for each other. What a great city we get to live in.