Omar is a man, forcibly taken from his home in West Africa in 1807, and brought through the Middle Passage to America. He is sold into slavery in South Carolina and treated with brutality. He maintains his Muslim faith and eventually while in captivity, writes his autobiography in Arabic. “Omar” is an opera created by MacArthur Fellowship recipient Rhiannon Giddens, {…}
CRB Classical 99.5 is set to broadcast the New England premiere of Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ “Omar.” The work, which had its local premiere back in May, will be broadcast on Sept. 10, 2023 starting at 7 p.m. The opera stars Jamez McCorkle, Cierra Byrd, Daniel Okulitch, Brianna J. Robinson, Emma Sorenson, Catherine Anne Daniel, Nicholas Lagesse, Fred C. {…}
The Pulitzer Prize has awarded “Omar,” by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, its Music Prize. The opera, which premiered on May 27, 2022 at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, S.C., is an innovative and compelling opera about enslaved people brought to North America from Muslim countries. The musical work respectfully represents African as well as African-American traditions, expanding the {…}
Boston Lyric Opera is set to present the New England premiere of “Omar,” a new opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. The work is set to be performed on May 4-7, 2023 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theater with a cast led by tenor Jamez McCorkle in his BLO debut as Omar, mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd in her BLO debut {…}
The Ojai Music Festival, its Music Director, two-time Grammy Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens, and Festival Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian have shared the initial programming highlights for the upcoming Festival, which will include over 18 music events featuring a wide range of contemporary classical vocal and operatic works. The 77th edition of the Festival will be held from June 8-11, {…}
Los Angeles Opera will present “Omar” starring on Oct. 22, 2022. The new opera by composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels recounts American slavery written by a Omar Ibn Said who was kidnapped and forced to board a ship bound for South Carolina. Kazem Abdullah conducts and Kaneza Schaal directs. Tenor Jamez McCorkle headlines the cast as Omar. He is {…}
Portland Opera has announced its 2022-23 season. The season kicks off with Bizet’s “Carmen,” which will star Maya Lahyani, Matthew Pearce, Richard Ollarsaba, and Ariana Wehr. Michael Ellis Ingram conducts a production directed by Denyce Graves. Performance Dates: Nov. 5 & 13, 2022 Kamala Sankaram’s “Thumbprint” will premiere with Maya Kherani, Indira Mahajan, Alok Kumar, Omar, Najmi, and Samina Aslam {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina has announced that it will be postponing the world premiere production of “Omar.” The work, which was set to premiere in 2020, will now be postponed until the 2022 season. The opera is written by Rhiannon Giddens and is based on the life of Omar Ibn Said, an enslaved Muslim-African man brought {…}
Spoleto Festival has released a behind-the-scenes video on their upcoming work “Omar.” Originally slated for its world premiere at this year’s festival, the work is based on the 1831 autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, a Muslim scholar who was taken from West Africa to be a slave in the Carolinas. “Omar” is created by Grammy Award-winner Rhiannon Giddens, and co-composed {…}
The Spoleto Festival USA has announced a free digital platform that begins streaming on May 22, 2020. For the purposes of this article, our sole focus will be on operatic and vocal performances being showcased. Arguably the most fascinating of offerings will be a preview for the upcoming opera “Omar” by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. The work was one {…}