First Opera Created By A Black Composer To Officially Debut Nearly 140 Years Later
Edmond Dédé composed Morgiane 138 years ago, but his racial identity prevented the opera from receiving proper staging.
The Washington Post28d
1924 Kalorama Heights townhouse has ties to D.C. opera scene
After O’Flinn purchased the house, he joined the board of Opera Lafayette, another local opera company. Many of his fellow volunteers had already been in the house. The Regency-style townhouse ...
New York Classical Review7d
Opera Lafayette to premiere oldest known opera by black American composer
Givonna Joseph, a mezzo-soprano who founded Opera Créole with her daughter in 2011, first encountered Morgiane in 2014 when a ...
The Washington Post22d
After 138 years, Black American composer Edmond Dédé gets his flowers
When you think of the music of New Orleans, you might think of every genre but classical and opera. In a place known for its rich gumbo of musical styles and traditions, it’s easy to forget that ...
CNN4d
He’s the first Black American to compose a full opera. It’s finally being staged after 138 years
Quigley, who is also the artistic director designate for the Washington-based Opera Lafayette, said he discovered Dédé and “Morgiane” in 2020 and decided to stage the opera in honor of the ...