Dédé's Morgiane
Album Release
A Revelatory Album Release
The world premiere recording of Edmond Dede's Morgiane, the first complete opera by a Black American, will be available from Delos beginning January 30, 2026
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“After 138 years, a Black composer’s magnum opus finds a stage.”
– NPR
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Delos partners with Opera Lafayette and OperaCréole to present the world premiere recording of the earliest complete opera by a Black American. The discovery of Edmond Dédé’s unedited manuscript of Morgiane (1887) inspired a rescue mission across time that would eventually realize the composer’s long-held ambition. Now, more than a century after its completion, Morgiane is finally able to be heard in its entirety thanks to the tireless work of OperaCréole founder Givonna Joseph, Opera Lafayette conductor Patrick Dupre Quigley, and countless others along the way. Born a free Creole of color in New Orleans, Dédé fled an Apartheid-like existence for free people of color in the southern United States to build his career in France, a move that would exert great influence on his composing style. To that end, Morgiane is not only beautiful, but also a bridge between worlds: American and French, Black and white, the powerful and the marginalized. This sweeping four-act epic set in Arabia and Persia is the work of a composer who labored with conviction and brilliance, even as he feared no one would ever hear his music. Featuring a cast of international soloists, OperaCréole’s chorus, and the Opera Lafayette Orchestra performing on period instruments from Dédé’s time, this live recording is not a revival – it is a revelation.
“A Manuscript That Unlocks a Forgotten Black Composerʼs World.”
- The New York Times
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Edmond Dédé (1827-1901)
Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d’Ispahan
Featuring:
Mary Elizabeth Williams, soprano (Morgiane)
Kenneth Kellogg, bass (Kourouschah)
Nicole Cabell, soprano (Amine)
Joshua Conyers, baritone (Hagi Hassan)
Chauncey Packer, tenor (Ali)
Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone (Beher)
OperaCréole Ensemble
Opera Lafayette Orchestra
Patrick Dupre Quigley, conductor
Givonna Joseph, creative collaborator
Release Date: 30 January, 2026
DE3628, Delos
Artists
Rediscovering America's rich musical history
Mary Elizabeth Williams, soprano
Morgiane*
Opéra National de Paris, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Atlanta Opera, San Francisco Symphony
Kenneth Kellogg, bass*
Sultan Kourouschah
Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera
Joshua Conyers, baritone
Haggi Hassan
Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, New York Philharmonic
Nicole Cabell, soprano*
Amine (DC, NYC, MD)
Metropolitan Opera, Cardiff Singer of the World, Royal Opera House
Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone
Beher
Boston Early Music Festival, Apollo’s Fire, Carmel Bach Festival
“Edmond Dédé’s ‘Morgiane’ is as musically rich as it is historically significant. This opera has plenty to captivate; Morgiane should be here to stay.”
- The Observer
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Media Highlight
CBS's exclusive access to the making of Morgiane
CBS SATURDAY MORNING
CBS Saturday Morning explored the artistic collaboration between OperaCréole and Opera Lafayette to bring Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane to life. The video features Opera Lafayette's Artistic Director Designate, Patrick Quigley, and OperaCréole’s co-founders Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason among others.
“(Opera Lafayette and OperaCreole) have a lot to be proud of, for delivering a stirring opera, and for reviving an essential artist of American musical history."
- Early Music America
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Featured In
Browse worldwide media features & reviews on Dédé's Morgiane
“Dédé’s “Morgiane” shows how diversity initiatives can promote works of real cultural value.”
- The New Yorker
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About Producers & Partners
This project is a collaboration undertaken by the two foremost companies in the United States with respective expertise in historical Black and French opera:
OperaCréole (New Orleans, LA) is dedicated to researching and presenting lost or rarely performed works by composers of African descent. The company focuses on works by 19th-century New Orleanian free composers of color, and also on promoting Louisiana’s Creole language and culture. Led by founders Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason, OperaCréole musicians are professional artists, educators, and international soloists with roots in New Orleans, where the first opera season in what is now the United States premiered in 1796.
Opera Lafayette (Washington, DC, and New York, NY) is a leading interpreter of music from the 17th to the 19th centuries, performing little-known operatic gems and creating a legacy of these works through recordings. Opera Lafayette gives new life to centuries-old compositions, supported by scholarly research that highlights both the historical context of these works and their relevance to today’s world. Led by founder Ryan Brown, Opera Lafayette gave the world premiere of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Io in May of 2023, a previously uncompleted work which had remained unperformed since its writing in the 1750s. Opera Lafayette gives seasons in both Washington, DC, and New York, NY, and has been invited twice to perform at the Opéra Royale at Versailles, France, performing five sold-out shows.
Opera Lafayette is grateful for the help of our community partners, including the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, the Folger Shakespeare Library, Opera America, and Opera Ebony, in this world premiere presentation.
The world premiere performances of Morgiane are supported in part by generous gifts from Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Capital Hill Community Foundation, The School of Music and Clarice Presents at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the campus of the University of Maryland, and The Kenneth Gorelick Fund for Opera Lafayette premiere editions and recordings, supported by a generous initial gift from Cheryl Gorelick.
