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 Jacqueline Cohen, president of Ardea Arts, and Grethe Barrett Holby, the chair of the board of that 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 and Olivier Sedra. Simon Green is the Basketball Director and Coach while Holby is the Stage Director. Richard Baskin Jr. is the stage director.
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