Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has announced two exciting world premieres slated for the 2023 and 2024 Festival Seasons. During the 2023 season, the company will present a new adaptation of Scott Joplin’s opera “Treemonisha.” The work is reimagined for the modern era by composer Damien Sneed and librettist Karen Chilton. “Working with OTSL is always a pleasure because they {…}
Scott Joplin was renowned in his time as the father of Ragtime. But after his death, his music was largely forgotten for decades. Eventually, a revival would come forth, returning the composer to his place amongst one of the great American composers. And yet, there are still many unfamiliar with his output, especially in the realm of opera. So this {…}
Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” first premiered as a concert read-through in Harlem in 1910, and was not fully staged until 1972, over fifty years after the composer’s death The work, described as “an entirely new form of operatic art,” combines Wagnerian conventions of opera with traditional African-American folk tales and music. Joplin, writer of the score and libretto, may have created {…}
Scott Joplin was one of America’s most renowned black composers, garnering the title of “King of Ragtime.” Born in 1868 as the second of six children to an ex-slave from North Carolina and a freeborn woman from Kentucky, his birthday and place of birth remain points of contention to this day. He grew up in Arkansas and learned basic music {…}
June 8th marks the start of African-American Music Appreciation Month. While the talent and musical accomplishments of the black community cannot possibly be summarized in one article, we have compiled a list of notable recordings of not only great singers, but also composers whose works have been overlooked for decades, even centuries. In recent years more attention has finally been {…}
Stanford Live is set to showcase the world premiere of a reimagined version of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” on April 23-26, 2020 at the Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center. The sole surviving opera by the famed composer will be produced by Volcano Theatre in association with Moveable Beast and will feature a new story and libretto by Leah-Simone Bowen {…}
Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice will soon celebrate its 10th anniversary season with “musical gems that honor African American culture and talent,” according to the press release. The Festival will kick off with “10 Year Gala, Decade of Opera Favorites,” featuring sopranos Nancy Allen Lundy and Michelle Jennings, tenors Anthony Laciura and Barry Banks, bass-baritone Kyle Albertson, bass Morris {…}