Organization

Spoleto Festival USA

Video

Video (+1)

Joshua Higgason

Dirigent

Dirigent (+1)

John Kennedy

Regisseur

Kaneza Schaal

Kostuum ontwerper

April M. Hickman

Micheline Russell-Brown

Licht ontwerper

Licht ontwerper (+1)

Pablo Santiago

Koor meester

Koor meester (+2)

John Keene

Tenor (+2)

Jamez McCorkle

Omar Ibn Said

Sopraan (+1)

Brittany Renee

Julie Laquita

Bas-bariton (+3)

Daniel Okulitch

John Owen

Bariton (+1)

Norman Garrett

Omar's Brother

Tenor (+3)

Barry Banks

Auctioneer

Mezzosopraan (+3)

Laura Krumm

Eliza

Set designer

Amy Rubin

Mezzosopraan (+4)

Taylor Raven

Fatima, Omar's Mother

LA Opera

Lyric Opera of Chicago

San Francisco Opera

Chorus

San Francisco Opera Chorus

Orchestra

San Francisco Opera Orchestra

Set designer (+1)

Christopher Myers

Mezzosopraan (+2)

Rehanna Thelwell

Katie Ellen

Writing is the preservation of identity in the new opera Omar from Grammy award-winning artist Rhiannon Giddens and composer Michael Abels. A true story of an indomitable faith enshrined in a two-hundred-year-old autobiography in an opera acclaimed by The New York Times as a “sweeping achievement.”

In the early 1800s, Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said is forcibly taken from his village in West Africa and sold into slavery in Charleston, South Carolina. Attempting to flee, he is imprisoned in Fayetteville and taken to the plantation of another slaveholder, eager to convert him to Christianity. There Omar records his story in Arabic, transforming his world into an expansive canvas of text and faith, profoundly realized in Kaneza Schaal’s transcendent production.

Engels

Omar

San Francisco

Verenigde Staten

Omar Rhiannon Giddens

Staged

Opera

Omar Ibn Said's life and Muslim faith are remembered and retold in this inspirational West Coast premiere inspired by his remarkable 1831 autobiography. The luminous score—composed by Rhiannon Giddens in collaboration with Michael Abels—incorporates distinctive West African traditions with traditional opera instrumentation.

Set in the shifting darkness of memory and imagination, Omar follows his compelling journey from a peaceful life in his homeland to enslavement in a violent, foreign world. Lost in the wilderness of his thoughts and his stolen life, he's haunted by memories of his family and the people he encounters along the way. Through it all, he somehow remains true to himself and his faith, against all odds. The luminous score—composed by Rhiannon Giddens in collaboration with Michael Abels—incorporates distinctive West African traditions with traditional opera instrumentation.

Tenor Jamez McCorkle makes his company debut in the title role, with bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch in a double role as two very different slave masters. Norman Garrett makes his company debut as Omar's brother, with Barry Banks as the auctioneer and Jacqueline Echols as Julie, an enslaved woman who gives Omar the key to a better life.

For tickets and information go to www.LAOpera.org/Omar

Approved

Omar, GiddensAbels

Cast

Omar Ibn Said

Julie Laquita

John Owen

Omar's Brother

Auctioneer

Eliza

Fatima, Omar's Mother

Katie Ellen

Productieteam

Regisseur

Dirigent

Set designer

Kostuum ontwerper

Koor meester

Licht ontwerper

Video

Instrumentatie

Producent

Producent

Ensemble

Orkest

Koor

Co-producent

Co-producent

Aanbevolen video's

Foto's

Ontdek

Componist

Beschrijving

Productie synopsis