On Feb. 27, 2025, National Negro Opera Company founder Mary Cardwell Dawson was honored with a special mural unveiling ceremony. The mural was created by artist Scott Nurkin to honor Cardwell and all her contributions to American music. The ceremony took place at Murphy Street in Madison, North Carolina, and featured performances by Alyson Cambridge and Kenneth Overton, as well {…}
The Concert Singers of Cary have announced a joint concert in honor of Black History Month. The North Carolina Central University Choir (HBCU), the Concert Singers of Cary, and the Durham Symphony Orchestra will present “Voices of the Unarmed.” The program weaves together music, text, and conversation as it explores the themes of justice, love, and resilience. The choirs will {…}
Emmy Award-nominated and Telly Award-winning orchestra, The Discovery Orchestra and MORE Opera have announced a Black History Month concert scheduled for Feb. 23, 2025 at the Grace Episcopal Church in Newark. The program, “Discover Angelitos Negros” (“Little Black Angels,”) will feature soprano Cheryl Warfield and pianist Patricio Molina. The duo will present a mix of folk music, opera, and spirituals {…}
(Photo credit: Ekua Holmes) The New England Conservatory (NEC) puts on the 7th annual Coretta Scott King Tribute Concert, titled “Life. Love. Legacy.” on Feb. 26 in Jordan Hall. The musical tribute is co-curated by NEC’s Black Student Union and Castle of our Skins. This year’s concert holds special significance as it marks the 70th anniversary of Coretta Scott King’s {…}
(Photo credit: NBC) On Feb. 5, the NBC Nightly News ran a feature on OperaCréole and Opera Lafayette on their efforts to produce the earliest known opera by a Black American,”Morgiane.” NBC Nightly News traveled to New Orleans to film a segment on OperaCréole’s Artistic Director Givonna Joseph and her work to bring restorative justice to American opera through presentations {…}
The Experiential Orchestra and Videmus present the Julia Perry Centenary Celebration and Festival in New York City. Julia Perry (1924-79) was an African-American composer, born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in Akron, Ohio. She spent two summers at the Berkshire Music Center, studied with Luigi Dallapiccola and briefly with Nadia Boulanger. She won the Prix Fontainebleau and two Guggenheim Fellowships, {…}
The Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Washington Performing Arts Men, Women, and Children of the Gospel Choirs will co-present the 36th-annual choral tribute concert “Living the Dream…Singing the Dream” at the Kennedy Center on Feb. 18, 2024. The performance, under the direction of Artistic Director Theodore Thorpe III, pays tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin {…}
Photo Credit: Tania Barricklo Multi-talented opera director, fight choreographer, composer, singer, and conductor Maria Todaro spoke with OperaWire about revising the recent productions of “The Anonymous Lover” and her ‘love affair’ with the composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. In 2022 Todaro staged “The Anonymous Lover” for Minnesota Opera. Paying homage to Bologne, she set the opera in 18th century {…}
Soprano Abiodun Koya is about as multifaceted as a person can get: opera singer, poet, fashion designer, model, activist, and humanitarian, to name a few. But the title she’s most proud of? Humanitarian. The soprano is living out that purpose, singing in front of and meeting people who can effect positive change and help forward her foundation’s goals. The Abiodun {…}
As Black History Month 2020 draws to a close, we take a look at some of the great black artists of the past and present for our latest word search. Instructions: You are free to solve the word search directly on your mobile or desktop device; just click the first and last letter of each word for it to appear {…}
Marian Anderson, born on Feb. 27, 1897, will forever be remembered as one of the most important figures in the history of opera. To commemorate the contralto’s birthday and what she means as a part of Black History Month, here is a quiz that tests you on her career exploits. As always, have fun.