The Ties that Bind: Two One-Act Operas by African American Composers

Bonds are broken in this evening of two rarely performed, one-act operatic gems, written by Black American composers.

“Highway 1, U.S.A.” is an intimate family drama that pits brother against brother in a battle about love, jealousy, and greed. Composed by William Grant Still (1895-1978) with a libretto by his wife, Verna Arvey (1910-1987), “Highway 1” received its premiere in 1963 and was rarely staged until it was produced by the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2021. This one-act opera by the “Dean of African-American Composers” features a sweeping score that brilliantly blends elements of Romanticism, blues, and musical theatre with a classical musical structure.  

For more background, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5BcUu8Mang and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6a-eqgONrk.

“Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story” receives its academic premiere with this production, its second ever. Composer Adolphus Hailstork (b. 1941) and librettist David Gonzalez (b. 1956) adapted this dramatic rendering of the life of John P. Parker, an enslaved person who earned enough money to buy his freedom. He went on to establish a foundry in Ripley, Ohio, and held three known patents as an inventor, all while working as an Underground Railroad conductor to ferry hundreds of people escaping from slavery across the Ohio River from Northern Kentucky. “Rise for Freedom” was commissioned in 2007 by the Cincinnati Opera.

Hailstork received his Ph.D. in Composition from Michigan State University and is a professor of composition at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.  Librettist Gonzalez is a professional storyteller, poet, playwright, and musician who has been a Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. He earned his doctorate in Music Therapy from New York University.

Together, these different operas highlight voices that are underrepresented in the operatic canon. This double bill will run approximately 2 hours, and will be sung in English. 

Location

Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

Notes

**Please Note: Due to new U-M health and safety guidance, recently updated in January 2022, this indoor, ticketed performance requires audience members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or present a negative PCR Covid test within 72 hrs of the performance. By purchasing this performance you agree to adhere to these guidelines and any other health and safety measures already currently in place (such as wearing a face mask in our venues and auditioriums for the duration of the performance as well as a screening for symptoms through the ResponsiBlue app). **