Displaying items by tag: She Who Dared

Chicago Opera Theater (COT), Chicago’s foremost producer of new and rarely staged  operas, proudly presents the world premiere of She Who Dared by acclaimed composer/librettist duo Jasmine Arielle Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. Featuring an all-Black female cast, the compelling, richly melodic, new opera shines a spotlight on the women who challenged segregation before and alongside Rosa Parks. COT will collaborate with the popular Chicago-based Black chamber music collective D-Composed which will serve as the orchestra for the production. This collaboration marks the first time the ensemble has gone from performing primarily as a quartet to an expanded orchestra of D-Composed collaborators and musicians in Chicago's Black classical community.  COT presents  She Who Dared in three performances only at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building (410 S Michigan Ave.): Tuesday, June 3 at 7:30 PM; Friday, June 6 at 7:30 PM; and Sunday, June 8 at 3:00 PM Tickets start at $50.00 and are available at chicagooperatheater.org.

Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but she wasn’t the first to refuse to move. She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the brave women who helped dismantle bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, leading to the landmark court case Browder v. Gayle. On March 2, 1955, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested for refusing to relinquish her seat to a white passenger. In the months that followed, four other women—Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, Mary Louise Smith, and Jeanetta Reese—were also arrested under similar circumstances. Colvin, Browder, McDonald, and Smith ultimately became plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, the federal case that challenged the constitutionality of segregated public transportation and led to a Supreme Court ruling that declared it unlawful. In She Who Dared, these trailblazing women step into the spotlight alongside other pivotal figures in the movement, including Rosa Parks and Jo Ann Robinson — each playing a crucial role in the fight for justice.

Barnes’ work has been described as “the best possible blend of Billie Holiday and Claude Debussy” by the Boston Globe. The highly melodic score for She Who Dared liberally references musical idioms of the time, including soul, gospel, and protest music. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, She Who Dared demonstrates how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.

She Who Dared will feature COT debuts from sopranos Jasmine Habersham as Claudette Colvin, Jacqueline Echols as Rosa Parks/Ms. Nesbit/Prosecution Attorney, recent Ryan Opera Center graduate Lindsey Reynolds as Mary Louise Smith/Classmate, mezzo sopranos Chrystal E. Willams as Aurelia Browder, Deborah Nansteel as Jo Ann Robinson/Fred Gray, and Cierra Byrd as Jeanetta Reese/Classmate/Officer/Judge, alongside COT favorite, Chicago-based mezzo soprano Leah Dexter as Susie “Mama Sue” McDonald. Conductor Michael Ellis Ingram and director Timothy Douglas make their COT debuts at the helm of the world premiere production.

Commissioned by American Lyric Theater (ALT) and developed under the auspices of ALT’s Composer Librettist Development Program, She Who Dared follows up on the critically acclaimed success of Chicago Opera Theater and American Lyric Theater’s previous collaboration on the world premiere of Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico’s The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing in 2023. With this latest production, COT and ALT continue their shared commitment to developing and presenting innovative new operas that push the boundaries of the art form while championing composers and librettists that reflect the diversity of contemporary American society.

"As the first professionally staged opera written by two Black women, this production is a testament to the evolving landscape of American opera,” said Chicago Opera Theater Edlis Neeson General Director Lawrence Edelson, who also commissioned the opera in his role as Artistic and General Director at American Lyric Theater. “Yet, while this historic milestone is worth celebrating, She Who Dared stands on its own as a remarkable new addition to the repertoire. Jasmine and Deborah are two of the most exciting artists working in opera today. With an incredibly compelling story that speaks to resilience, justice, and the power of community and its rich, evocative score, She Who Dared is a gripping, revelatory work — one that exemplifies the power of opera to illuminate the past while speaking directly to the present.”

Related Programming: 

Sounds of Progress: Opera and the Civil Rights Movement – Free Concert

Saturday, May 10 at 2:00 PM

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center - 740 E 56th Pl. in Washington Park

Leading up to the premiere of She Who Dared, COT is partnering with Chicago’s DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center for a free concert – Sounds of Progress: Opera and the Civil Rights Movement. This special community event is being presented as part of the Museum’s focus throughout the month of May on the people, places, and events that helped shape and define the era of The Civil Rights Movement. Through powerful music and storytelling, this concert will explore the role of opera in amplifying the voices of those who fought for civil rights, including a preview from She Who Dared alongside scenes from Loving v. Virginia (Damien Geter/Jessica Murphy Moo), Appomattox (Philip Glass/Christopher Hampton), X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Anthony Davis/Thulani Davis), Freedom Ride (Dan Shore), This Little Light of Mine (Chandler Carter/Diana Solomon Glover), and others. This concert is free, advanced registration is encouraged at chicagooperatheater.org/sounds-of-progress.

Close Up with She Who Dared – Free Preview Event

Thursday, May 15 at 6:00 PM

The Newberry Library- Ruggles Hall - 60 W Walton St.

Composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes, librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, and COT General Director Lawrence Edelson lead a discussion about She Who Dared with excerpts from the opera performed live by members of the cast. Audiences get a sneak peek of the world premiere opera before its debut on June 3 and get a look behind the curtain into the development process of a new opera. This event is free, advanced registration is encouraged at chicagooperatheater.org/close-up-she-who-dared.

Opera For All – All School Showcase – Free Event

Tuesday, May 20 at 12:00 Noon

Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building – 410 S. Michigan Avenue

She Who Dared librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton has been working this season with COT’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, Veronica Chamberlain, to develop a supplement to COT’s Opera for All curriculum. Opera for all provides students in 24 classrooms in Chicagoland the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of bringing stories to life through opera. With Mouton’s guidance, this year, students have learned to tap into stories that are personally relevant to their history as the basis for their operatic works. Students will present the culmination of this year-long partnership during an all-school showcase on May 20, presented in partnership with the Fine Arts Building and the Studebaker Theater. To learn more about COT’s innovative education program Opera For All, visit chicagooperatheater.org/opera-for-all.

About Jasmine Arielle Barnes

Jasmine Arielle Barnes is an Emmy award winning composer and acclaimed vocalist who has performed and has had her music performed worldwide. Her music has been described as “refreshing.., engaging..., exciting” by San Francisco Classical Voice, "Beautifully lyrical" by The Telegraph (UK), and “the best possible blend of Billie Holiday and Claude Debussy” by the Boston Globe. The twice over graduate from Morgan State University is a recent recipient of Opera America’s Discovery Opera Grant for women. A distinguished member of The Blacknificent 7 Collective and aluma of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program, she has been commissioned by numerous organizations such as NY Philharmonic, American Composers Forum, and Juilliard Pre College, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Carnegie Hall, Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center, Nashville Symphony Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Apollo Chamber Players, Baltimore Choral Arts, CityMusic Cleveland, LyricFest Philadelphia, among others. For more information visit jasminebarnescomposer.com.

About Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton

Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an award-winning author, playwright, director, performer, artist, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, TX. Praised by the NY Times as an artist who “defies categorization”, her genre-bending works span from stage to page. She is the author of Newsworthy (Bloomsday Literary, 2019) which was translated into German (Berichtenswert, Elif Verlag, 2020), Black Chameleon (Henry Holt, 2023), and an upcoming children's book, Hush Hush Hurricane (Kokila Books). She’s penned stage works including Marian's Song (Houston Grand Opera), Atlanta: 1906 (Atlanta Opera) & On My Mind (Opera Theater St. Louis). Serving as Playwright/Director, she produced The World's Intermission, commissioned by Performing Arts Houston (Jones Hall), and Plumshuga: The Rise of Lauren Anderson, a choreopoem (Stages Theater) which made the cover of the NYT Culture section. Her recent memoir, Black Chameleon, which was awarded the Carr P. Collins award for Best Nonfiction through the Texas Institute of Letters (2024), examines Black womanhood through Afrofuturistic mythology. Stories that Mouton later adapted into a storybook opera (Lula, the Mighty Griot, HGO) and an independent short film (Headache & Heartthrob).  A former Resident Artist with the American Lyric Theater, Rice University, and the Houston Museum of African American Culture, her upcoming projects will debut at The Kennedy Center and Chicago Opera Theater. She resides in Houston, TX. For more information visit livelifedeep.com.

About Chicago Opera Theater

Chicago Opera Theater’s mission is to enrich the lives of those who live, work and play in Chicago by bringing rarely produced and contemporary operas to life, supporting gifted emerging artists, and providing hands-on experiences with opera that entertain, empower creativity, and cultivate a lasting and meaningful connection to the arts. COT serves Chicago through unique, relevant, and innovative opera experiences that reflect the aspirations of our city — dynamic, inclusive, and forward-thinking — fostering inspiration, dialogue and belonging. Since its founding in 1973, COT has grown from a grassroots community-based company to a national leader in an increasingly vibrant, diverse, and forward-looking art form. COT has staged over 160 operas, including over 90 Chicago premieres and 50 operas by American composers. COT is led by Edlis Neeson General Director Lawrence Edelson, who was appointed in 2023. For more information visit chicagooperatheater.org

The World Premiere Production of She Who Dared at Chicago Opera Theater has been made possible with generous leadership support from The National Endowment for the Arts and Ethel Gofen; with additional support from Fred and Phoebe Boelter the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Amphion Foundation, and The Alice M. Ditson Fund. Sounds of Progress: Opera and the Civil Rights Movement has been made possible with generous support from the Robert & Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc.

Chicago Opera Theater thanks Nancy Dehmlow and the Morse & Genius Operating Reserve Fund for their generous support of the 2024/25 season.

She Who Dared was commissioned by American Lyric Theater and developed under the auspices of ALT’s Composer Librettist Development Program. Workshop support for She Who Dared was generously provided by OPERA America’s Repertoire Development Grant Program, with support from The Helen F. Whitaker Fund; Lee Day Gillespie; Lloyd and Mary Ann Gerlach; The Mellon Foundation; The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; and The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Jasmine Barnes’ commission fee has been underwritten in part by generous support from OPERA America’s Commissioning Grants for Women Composers, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional developmental support for Jasmine Barnes has been provided by OPERA America’s Discovery Grant Program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.