Blackness in Opera

About the Book

How race and Blackness play out in opera

As opera is multifaceted, so too are ideas, perceptions, and experiences of Blackness. Naomi André, Karen M. Bryan, and Eric Saylor edit essays examining the intersections of race and opera in works both canonical (Porgy and Bess, Aida) and lesser-known (Koanga, Blue Steel, Ouanga!). Taking a variety of interdisciplinary approaches, the contributors engage with issues that include: the construction of Black characters; interpretations of racialized roles by Black and white performers; controversies over race in the theatre and the use of blackface; and extensions of Blackness along the spectrum from grand opera to musical theatre and film. Finally, renowned American tenor George Shirley offers personal and professional reflections.

Contributors: Naomi André, Melinda Boyd, Gwynne Kuhner Brown, Karen M. Bryan, Melissa J. de Graaf, Christopher R. Gauthier, Jennifer McFarlane-Harris, Gayle Murchison, Guthrie P. Ramsey Jr., Eric Saylor, Sarah Schmalenberger, Ann Sears, George Shirley, and Jonathan O. Wipplinger.

* Publication of this book was supported by grants from the Henry and Edna Binkele Classical Music Fund; the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the Publications Endowment of the American Musicological Society, supported through the National Endowment for the Humanities; and Friends of Drake Arts, Drake University.