Basketball Opera ‘BOUNCE’ to Get NYC Premiere
By David Salazar“BOUNCE,” a new American opera, will get its New York premiere on June 21 and 28, 2025.
The work will be presented at Harlem’s Rucker Park and is the brainchild of Grethe Barrett Holby, executive director of Ardea Arts, and Jacqueline Cohen, president of the same organization.
The work tells the story of a high school basketball player bound for stardom who gets shot during a street game. What follows is his journey through tragedy and trauma as he works his way back to the court. The opera features a wide-ranging music palette that incorporates the squeaks of sneakers, dribbling of the basketball, rap, gospel, and R&B. The work was previously performed in Kentucky and Memphis and has had the support of the NBA and various other partners.
The opera features a libretto by Charles R. Smith and stars Seth A. Ibarrando as the poet / wrapper and Olivier “The Voice” Sedra as the announcer. Simon Green is the Basketball Director and Coach while Holby is the Stage Director. Richard Baskin Jr. is the music director.
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