Today, the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY, presents the world première of Blue, an opera composed by Jeanine Tesori with a libretto by Tazewell Thompson.
(c) Rodolfo Martinez
It is the composer's third opera after A Blizzard on Marblehead Neck (Copperstown, July 21, 2011) and The Lion, the Unicorn and Me (Wahsington, December 14, 2013).
An African American couple in Harlem anticipates the birth of their firstborn, a son, with both hope and fear. As the baby grows into a young man, the mother worries for his future, and the father tries to prepare his son for the realities of 21st century America, while wrestling with his own identity as a police officer, a "Black man in blue." When their deepest fears come true, the family is forced to navigate a devastating reality seeking answers and support from their church and community. (reproduced from the Lyric Opera of Chicago website)The cast includes bass Kenneth Kellogg (The Father), mezzo Briana Hunter (The Mother), tenor Aaron Crouch (The Son) and baritone Gordon Hawkins (The Reverend). John DeMain conducts the orchestra. Tazewell Thompson directs.
The performance should last about 2 hours and 45 minutes. The opera will subsequently be performed in Washington, DC (Eisenhower Theater), starting on March 15, 2020 and in Chicago, starting on June 19, 2020.
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