Librettist

Playwright

Director

Now in its fourth season, the 96-Hour Opera Festival celebrates emerging creative talents. The competition pairs composers and librettists to write ten-minute operas, which are developed over 96 hours and presented in a public showcase, with a winning team selected by judges.

EPSG:4326

2025 96-Hour Opera Project

Morehouse College

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.

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

Meet King Xerxes

He’s the most powerful man in Persia, so why can’t he get Romilda to marry him? The sensational American countertenor Key’mon Murrah stars in Handel’s tongue-in-cheek 1738 masterpiece about love and the limits of power. Dame Jane Glover conducts, in Tazewell Thompson’s vivid, color-soaked production.

Xerxes

Detroit Opera House

Still’s Symphony No. 2, Song of a New Race, celebrates the Black American as, in the composer’s words, “a totally new individual.” Adolphus Hailstork’s oratorio Done Made My Vow, A Ceremony, conceived here for the stage by director Tazewell Thompson and video artist Rasean Davonté Johnson, honors the countless Black Americans who have faced “the bench of injustice, and, by doing so, changed a nation.” A World Premiere by Courtney Bryan, with a new libretto by Thompson, celebrates a variety of Black musical heritage. Leslie B. Dunner conducts.

The March to Liberation

Lincoln Center

Jubilee recounts the true story and music of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers, whose historic international concert tours in 1871 saved the newly formed Fisk University. By touring performances of the spirituals born in slavery, work songs, and other music of the day, the students of the Jubilee Choir raised funds to build Jubilee Hall. They saved the institution and preserved a musical legacy, securing the future of a vital historically Black college.

Librettist, Playwright, Director

Tazewell Thompson

Events

Upcoming events

5 - 10 Jun, 2027

Jubilee · Atlanta Opera

Past events

20 - 22 Jun, 2025

2025 96-Hour Opera Project · Atlanta Opera

Nov 16 - Dec 1, 2024

Blue · Lyric Opera of Chicago

About

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