Led by ALT’s Associate Artistic Director, Kelly Kuo
With composers Daniel Bernard Roumain, Justine F. Chen, Anthony Davis, Huang Ruo, and Errollyn Wallen; and librettists Richard Wesley, David Henry Hwang, Kanika Ambrose, and Andrea Davis Pinkney
This is a three-part seminar and roundtable, with a concluding concert, occurring on the following dates:
Part I: Tuesday, April 6, 2021 @ 7:30pm – 9pm ET
Part II: Wednesday, April 7, 2021 @ 7:30pm – 9pm ET
Part III: Thursday, April 8, 2021 @ 7:30pm – 9pm ET
Concert: Saturday, April 10, 2021 @ 7:30pm – 9pm ET
BIPOC composers and librettists have written for the lyric stage for centuries, but so many of their contributions have been consciously erased from the opera house — historically white, Euro-centric, racist institutions where select, self-anointed groups of people have gone out of their way to control the repertoire, who writes opera, who is represented on stage, and how. The tide is beginning to turn, but we still have a long way to go before opera reflects the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary American society. We begin our exploration of BIPOC composers and librettists in opera with a look back at some remarkable artists who wrote for the opera stage, but whose works have been erased from the repertoire. We are then joined by a group of BIPOC composers and librettists working in opera today to discuss their pathways into opera; why they are drawn to opera to tell their stories through music; navigating racism in the opera field; and the complementary value of allyship and self-empowerment in advancing BIPOC artists’ contributions to the operatic repertoire. We conclude with a special virtual concert on Saturday, April 10 celebrating operas by BIPOC composers and librettists from the 18th century to today.