Justin Austin

Adrienne Danrich

Washington Performing Arts

Strathmore

Strathmore and Washington Performing Arts are proud to present "Terence Blanchard Fire Shut Up in My Bones: Opera Suite in Concert." This groundbreaking event features the talents of The E-Collective, Turtle Island Quartet, and visual artist Andrew F. Scott, with special performances by Justin Austin and Adrienne Danrich. Scheduled for Friday, April 26, 2024, at 8:00 PM, the concert will take place at The Music Center at Strathmore.

This opera suite in concert is based on the best-selling 2014 memoir of Charles M. Blow, a journalist for The New York Times, and explores Blow’s journey to overcome a cycle of violence in his life and family. "Fire Shut Up in My Bones" is Terence Blanchard’s second opera in jazz and marks a significant cultural milestone as the first work by an African-American composer to be featured at The Metropolitan Opera.

The 90-minute performance, without intermission, promises to be an immersive experience. Through music and video projections, audiences will gain a deeper understanding of Blanchard’s artistic vision and the powerful themes of the opera, which include mature content and references to sexual assault and child abuse.

This performance is co-presented with Strathmore and includes a pre-concert talk titled "OUR BONES CRY OUT: The Journey of Black Classical Musicians Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." Panelists will share their experiences and discuss the impact of history and culture on their lives as opera singers, librettists, composers, historians, and social advocates, exploring the existence of inclusive spaces in opera, jazz, and classical music.

Don't miss this culturally significant and emotionally powerful evening of music and storytelling.