Pianist

Set Designer

A new opera exploring memory care, family, connection, and the relationship between technology and dementia care. Based on a provided prompt of integrating AI into a creative work. Awarded the Antinori Foundation Grand Prize in the 96-Hour Opera Project in June 2024. Content warning: water-based special effect haze and adult language. Approximately 70 minutes, no intermission.

Water Memory (Jala Smriti)

Ferst Center for the Arts

Experience the powerful and poignant opera "Blue," co-produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Glimmerglass Festival, and Washington National Opera. This compelling narrative delves into the life of a Black middle-class family in Harlem, whose aspirations for their teenage son are tragically disrupted when he is shot by a white police officer. The opera features the evocative music of Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori, paired with a deeply sensitive libretto by Tazewell Thompson. The production stars the formidable bass Kenneth Kellogg, who has garnered acclaim in previous performances of this work, alongside mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams and baritone Norman Garrett. Sung in English with projected English titles, "Blue" is a moving exploration of contemporary social issues, brought to life through a combination of powerful vocals and dramatic storytelling. The production also includes accessible features such as ASL interpretation, audio-described performances, and touch tours, ensuring an inclusive experience for all audience members.

EPSG:4326

Blue

Lyric Opera House

A world premiere opera. Not long after Emancipation and the end of the Civil War, the historic Fisk Jubilee Singers came together and changed music forever. Telling the story of the ensemble's early members, this opera—which includes over 40 spirituals—follows them on their first tours, raising funds for the fledgling Fisk University and spreading their music around the world. From threats of violence to a pivotal performance for Queen Victoria, the singers share their personal histories through powerful vignettes full of humor, heartbreak, and hope

Jubilee

Seattle Center

In Harlem, a couple celebrates the birth of their firstborn—a boy, Black and beautiful. As the mother worries for her son’s future in today’s America, the father wrestles with his role as a police officer, a “Black man in blue.” When the unimaginable happens years later and a white officer kills the son, their deepest fears will come true.

Following its postponement in our 2020–2021 season, WNO presents the long-awaited D.C. premiere of Blue, the “Best New Opera of 2020” (The Music Critics Association of North America). Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera is inspired by contemporary events and Black literature, including Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time. Jeanine’s signature genre-blending style captures the grief of a community, the bonds of a family, and the vulnerabilities of protecting a child. By giving voice to the joy and pain of families that are often unheard, Blue places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact.

Pianist, Set Designer

Donald Eastman

Events

Past events

12 - 14 Jun, 2026

Water Memory (Jala Smriti) · Atlanta Opera

Nov 16 - Dec 1, 2024

Blue · Lyric Opera of Chicago

Future and recently performed repertoire

Pianist in Water Memory (Jala Smriti) by Brazelton

Atlanta Opera

About

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