RE | STORE:
Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane
The most important opera never heard.
The first complete opera by a Black American has been hidden in a single, handwritten manuscript for over 130 years. Experience the world-premiere concert performance of this four-act French grand opera on themes from
Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.
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 and Opera Lafayette.
AS FEATURED IN…
Complementary Programming Surrounding
The World Premiere of Dédé’s Morgiane
In anticipation of this historical world premiere, together with our partners, we have planned myriad events to engage, educate, and share the project with our audience and beyond. We invite you to join us for any and all of these curated events…
DC AREA PREMIERES
FEBRUARY 3, 2025, 7:00p.m.
PURCHASE SINGLE TICKETS
Lincoln Theatre
Washington, D.C.
Pre-Show Discussion 6:00p.m. led by Givonna Joseph
FEBRUARY 7, 2024, 7:00p.m.
PURCHASE SINGLE TICKETS
Dekelboum Concert Hall at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Presented by the School of Music and Clarice Presents
University of Maryland, College Park
Single tickets available only. Not included in subscription.
Presented in partnership with the
University of Maryland’s School of Music
and The Clarice
Pre-Show Discussion 6:00p.m. led by Givonna Joseph
New York City PREMIERE
FEBRUARY 5, 2024, 7:00p.m.
PURCHASE SINGLE TICKETS
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
Broadway at 60th Street
New York, NY
Pre-Show Discussion 6:00p.m. led by Givonna Joseph
NEW ORLEANS AREA PREMIERE
A 90-minute excerpted production will be presented by OperaCréole, featuring the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (in lieu of Opera Lafayette Orchestra) at the church where Dédé was baptized.
JANUARY 23
PURCHASE SINGLE TICKETS
St. Louis Cathedral
Baptism Site of Dédé
New Orleans, NO
About the Production
Did you know that the first complete opera by a Black American has been hidden in a single manuscript for over 130 years? Edmond Dédé, a fourth-generation free person of color born in 1827 New Orleans, had an incredibly successful career as a conductor and composer in Bordeaux, France, writing nearly 100 critically and popularly acclaimed works for the French stage. His magnum opus, however—a four act French grand opera on themes from Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves—had yet to receive a premiere at the time of his death, and languished, unrecognized, in private collections and libraries for over a century.
Opera Lafayette, with Artistic Director Designate Patrick Quigley, and in partnership with New Orleans’ Givonna Joseph, Founder of OperaCréole, has painstakingly transcribed this monumental work and will present the long overdue world premiere of Dédé’s masterpiece, 138 years after its composition.
Featuring:
Morgiane:
Mary Elizabeth Williams, soprano*
Opera National de Paris, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera
Sultan Kourouschah:
Kenneth Kellogg, bass*
Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera
Haggi Hassan:
Joshua Conyers, baritone
Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, New York Philharmonic
Ali:
Chauncey Packer, tenor
Metropolitan Opera, Teatro Regio, Opera Comique
Amine:
Nicole Cabell, soprano*
Metropolitan Opera, Cardiff Singer of the World, Royal Opera House
(NYC, DC, MD only)
Taylor White, soprano
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Mobile Opera, OperaCréole
(New Orleans only)
Beher:
Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone
Boston Early Music Festival, Apollo’s Fire, Carmel Bach Festival
OperaCréole Featured Artists and Chorus
Opera Lafayette Orchestra (DC, NYC, MD only)
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (New Orleans only)
* Opera Lafayette debut
NBC Nightly News Features Production
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, and Opera Ebony, in this world premiere presentation.
