Theater News

Anthony Davis, Bobby McFerrin, Stephen Salters, et al. Set for New York City Opera Programs at Schomburg Center

Stephen Salters
Stephen Salters

New York City Opera and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture have announced a series of programs that will celebrate the great American operatic tradition while also highlighting the African-American experience and the distinguished African-American artists who have enriched the opera world.

The organizations’ programming will include Opera at the Schomburg (February 1), which will partner NYCO artists with members of Opera Noire New York and which will feature opera selections from composers such as John Adams, Edward Boatner, Mark Fax, Scott Joplin, Thea Musgrave, Virgil Thomson, and Clarence Cameron White.

A Tribute to Robert McFerrin (March 6) will be the second offering in the series and will feature Stephen Salters and Bobby McFerrin, who will honor the legacy of McFerrin’s father, the great American baritone Robert McFerrin, the first African-American man to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.

An abridged concert version of Anthony Davis and Christopher Davis’ opera The Life and Times of Malcolm X (May 12) will be the final offering in the series. In addition to the performance, the creators will be on hand to discuss the piece and their creative process.

For more information visit www.nycOpera.com or www.schomburgcenter.org.