Cincinnati Opera and CCM Announce NEXT OPERA FUSION: NEW WORKS WORKSHOP, ROBESON Opera

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) are has announced the next workshop in their groundbreaking joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works.

The featured opera currently has the Working Title of ROBESON Opera and includes music by Scott Davenport Richards and a libretto by Richards and David Cote, with CCM Professor Robin Guarino as dramaturg. Guarino will also serve as stage director. ROBESON Opera will receive a 10-day workshop culminating in a public performance of excerpts on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at 3 p.m. in Music Hall's Wilks Studio.

ROBESON Opera is the next work from the creative team behind the critically acclaimed 2019 opera Blind Injustice. It is an epic and inspiring biographical examination of Black singer, actor, and activist Paul Robeson (1898-1976). A global superstar, Robeson leveraged his fame to fight on the frontlines for equality. His heroic and uncompromising efforts against fascism and racism worldwide led Robeson to be entangled in the tragic power struggle between the two superpowers of the twentieth century-the United States and the USSR-with his own life and career hanging in the balance. Inspired by historical events, ROBESON Opera also resonates with today's ongoing fights for social justice.

Admission to the public presentation of excerpts on May 14 is free, and reservations are required. Reservations are available through the Cincinnati Opera Box Office by calling 513-241-2742 or visiting cincinnatiopera.org.