Courtesy of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Most people in opera circles, starts Dr. Naomi André, a professor at the University of Michigan, describe the well-known George Gershwin opera Porgy and Bess as one of the most important pieces starring Black performers. “This opera has a lot of beautiful tunes and provides a wonderful opportunity to see many Black singers on stage as well as in the audience—real communities are created,” André says. “Yet this opera has a lot of negative stereotypes that reference minstrelsy.”
In “Belonging in Opera: Learning from Our Past, Engaging with Our Future,” a two-night symposium, André will seek to show that there is “a much wider participation of Black people in opera.” The symposium is hosted by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Washington University’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, & Equity and will be streamed, for free, on OTSL’s Facebook and YouTube.
Historically, there has been a lack of equity in opera, but André says this is changing. “For the past several years, and certainly since last summer, we have seen artistic agencies focus more [on] expanding their audiences and really looking into nurturing artists of color—singers and composers,” she says.
It’s André’s hope that there will be a wider representation of all people who may feel opera isn’t a place for them. “In my world, 'Black opera' is a place of belonging for BIPOC and other underrepresented people—including white folks who have found opera to feel elitist and disabled people who are concerned about accessibility issues,” she says. “I envision seeing audiences that have a diversity of ages, income levels, as well as race and ethnicities in all opera houses.
“I hope people walk away with a feeling that opera is something they can engage in. I want people to feel entitled to go into opera houses,” she continues. “I want people to feel that this is a space that is open to them.”
The symposium will feature composers, artists, scholars, and opera administrators including Marcia Sells, chief diversity officer at the Metropolitan Opera; Afton Battle, general director of Fort Worth Opera; composers Anthony Davis (Central Park Five) and Damien Sneed, who will premiere The Tongue & The Lash at OTSL this summer; and singers Will Liverman and Briana Hunter. There will be short presentations that provide a historical perspective on race in operas and musicals, along with a closer look at specific operas by Black composers. “I’m very much looking forward to the community we’re building among participants in the panel and presentations as well as in the audience,” says André.
“Belonging in Opera: Learning from Our Past, Engaging with Our Future” takes place on Tuesday, April 6 and Tuesday, April 13, 5:30–7:30 p.m. For more information, visit opera-stl.org/belonging.
