Presented as part of OPERA America Onstage

March 1, 2023 | OPERA America's National Opera Center

Program

Welcome
Marc A. Scorca, President/CEO, OPERA America

Digital Opera Trailer

The First Bluebird in the Morning
Presented by LA Opera

Everything for Dawn
Presented by Experiments in Opera

Identity: A Song Cycle
Presented by Against the Grain Theatre

Join us for a reception in the lobby following the film screenings. 

The First Bluebird in the Morning

Presented by LA Opera

"This piece is a soliloquy of sorts from the perspective of an inmate experiencing life as a prisoner while finding hope and solace in the freedom of a bluebird. I’ve composed dark, brooding music to represent the mundane life of prison, which transforms later into a vibrant dance when the inmate gazes and admires the colorful bird.” — Composer Carlos Simon

The First Bluebird in the Morning is composer Carlos Simon's newly commissioned setting of verses by Sandra Seaton — sobering, heartfelt, and moving. Shot in stunning black and white, the film is created by director and choreographer Jamar Roberts. In a breathtaking performance, solo dancer Lloyd Knight, a principal dancer for the Martha Graham Dance Company, brings life and movement to the piece in combination with the voice of tenor Joshua Blue (who made his mainstage LA Opera debut in 2022 in St. Matthew Passion). Learn more >>

Everything for Dawn

Presented by Experiments in Opera

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, Experiments in Opera premiered Everything for Dawn, an epic new video opera series featuring ten 15-minute episodes, each written by a different librettist/composer combo. A web streaming series of daring ambition, Everything for Dawn is the epitome of what Experiments in Opera stands for—fun, intimate storytelling with a strong feeling of an artistic community at work.

Everything for Dawn is an original coming-of-age story spanning the 1990s. Dawn is a teenager dealing with the impact of her father’s suicide. Her personal tragedy becomes public when his paintings become celebrated as “outsider art.” With each episode written by a different librettist/composer pairing, the opera is an examination of the ways we seek solace in a broken world, community intersectionality, and the rationale for making art. Learn more >>

Identity: A Song Cycle

Presented by Against the Grain Theatre

In early June 2020, Torontonian baritone Elliot Madore opened up on social media about his struggles with “unabashedly expressing [his] identity” as a biracial person.

Against the Grain Artistic Director Joel Ivany and Elliot Madore came together to find a way to present to the Canadian arts community the universal themes behind Madore’s moving Instagram post. In collaboration with genre-bending composer Dinuk Wijeratne and acclaimed poet Shauntay Grant, AtG and Madore will present a song cycle that sets new and original Canadian poetry to music that fuses classical music with an array of influences. Learn more >>

About OPERA America

OPERA America leads and serves the entire opera community, supporting the creation, presentation, and enjoyment of opera. Founded in 1970, OPERA America fulfills its mission through public programs, an annual conference, regional workshops, consultations, granting programs, publications, and online resources. It is the only organization serving all constituents of opera: artists, administrators, trustees, educators, and audience members. Learn more >>

Acknowledgments

The 2022–2023 season of OPERA America Onstage is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Programming at the National Opera Center is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.