Today : world première of 'Freedom Ride' by Dan Shore in Chicago

Today, the Chicago Opera Theater presents the world première of Freedom Ride, an opera composed by Dan Shore on his own libretto.

It is the composer's fourth opera, after The Beautiful Bridegroom (2009), An Embarrassing Position (2013) and Anne Hutchinson (2014).

When the Congress of Racial Equality comes to New Orleans in the sweltering summer of 1961, Sylvie Davenport is torn. Handed a pamphlet and asked to board a Greyhound bus, Sylvie is forced to choose between her academic future and the future of the nation in a story that highlights how far we’ve come and how far we still have left to go. (reproduced from the Chicago Opera Theater website)

The cast includes soprano Dara Rahming (Sylvie Davenport), soprano Whitney Morrison (Leonie Baker), mezzo Zoie Reams (Georgia Davenport), tenor Tyrone Chambers (Russell Davenport), tenor Cornelius Johnson (Rev. Jerome Mitchell) and baritone Robert Sims (Clayton). Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts the Chicago Sinfonietta. Tazewell Thompson directs.

The venue is the Studebaker Theater.

The performance should last about 2 hours, including one intermission.

Today : world première of 'Blue' by Jeanine Tesori in Cooperstown

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.