Music Staff, Opera theatre of St. Louis; Pianist/Coach for opera productions of Galileo (Glass) and La Bohème (Puccini).

Opera’s history is inextricably linked with politics and power. Musician and scholar Douglas Sumi takes audiences on a whirlwind tour of repertoire across the centuries to examine how composers, librettists, and performers give voice to controversial political figures, grapple with state censorship, and engage with the spirit of popular protests within the confines of elite cultural spaces. The evening will include live vocal performances from both classical and contemporary operas as well as audience Q&A.

Opera Night at the Boston Public Library is a legacy community partnership between Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Public Library offering equitable access to quality opera learning experiences for over 25 years.

Performers:

Junhan Choi, baritone 

Arielle Rogers-Wilkey, mezzo-soprano

Douglas Sumi, pianist

Don’t Look Back is a multidisciplinary evening conceived, curated, and performed by GRAMMY Award-winning countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, in collaboration with Opera Omaha, the Morgan Library & Museum, and Harvard University. Featuring the music of Mozart, Gluck, and Handel, the performance breathes fresh life into the Morgan’s vast collection of original music manuscripts and first editions, and allows Costanzo to perform, quite literally, within these artifacts. Film director and photographer Pix Talarico gives audiences an unprecedented new vantage point to interact with these precious objects, colliding past with present.

Don’t Look Back is part of Costanzo’s MYTHS festival, a series of performances and events that explore the idea of myth in personal, societal, and historical contexts. MYTHS is presented in association with the Metropolitan Opera, where Costanzo will perform Orfeo ed Euridice beginning May 16, 2024. MYTHS is partially funded with support from the Mellon Foundation.

“Charlie Parker’s Yardbird paints a portrait of the tortured jazzman, legendary saxophonist, and inventor of ‘bebop.’ As his soul lingers between life and death, Charlie returns to his famous NYC jazz club, Birdland, and is challenged to compose a final masterpiece, all while pondering the inspirations, demons, and women who fueled his creative genius. Indianapolis-native and opera superstar Angela Brown debuted the role of Charlie’s mother, Addie Parker, and will reprise this powerful character for the Indiana premiere. Written by composer Daniel Schnyder with libretto by the late playwright Bridgette A. Wimberly, this 90-minute opera offers an unflinching portrayal of one man’s journey to redemption against a backdrop of the music, opioid crisis, and racial inequality of 1950s America.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6uCYkWkVYE

Ms. Blue will perform works by Strauss, Hoiby, Rachmaninoff, Spirituals, and more with Douglas Sumi.