A groundbreaking, three-opera commissioning initiative that engages Black creators to develop new works celebrating Black stories.
The first program of its kind, The Black Opera Project seeks to illuminate the resilient spirit and vibrant heritage of the Black American experience.
The project is the outgrowth of Cincinnati Opera’s previously announced grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the development of three fully-staged, full-length operas by creators of color focused on uplifting stories about the Black community.
One work will be premiered in each of Cincinnati Opera’s upcoming seasons from 2025 through 2027.
“The launch of The Black Opera Project marks the fruition of dreams long held by Black artists like me. While I was singing the title role in Porgy and Bess in 2019, Cincinnati Opera leaders invited my fellow cast members and me into a conversation about opera’s future. My colleagues and I expressed concern that there were no operas that truly represented the African American culture in a positive, modern, realistic, and contemporaneously relatable way. I asked, ‘When is there going to be an opera that has the same impact on the operatic stage that the movie Black Panther had on the big screen?’ We knew there was a critical need to create and develop works that represented the vastness and beauty of the African American experience. We also felt that these new works needed to be composed, written, directed, and conducted by Black people. Cincinnati Opera bought into this vision, fully dedicating themselves to bringing the Black Opera Project to life. I’m excited about what this initiative means both for people of color and for opera fans everywhere who’ll get a chance to see what Black joy looks like on the opera stage. We’re making history and changing our art form for the better.”
—Morris Robinson, world-renowned bass and Cincinnati Opera artistic advisor
PART I:
Lalovavi
The first new work to be featured as part of the Black Opera Project is Lalovavi (pronounced lah-low-VAH-vee) from two first-time opera creators: award-winning composer Kevin Day (music) and writer and performance poet Tifara Brown (libretto), working in collaboration with acclaimed stage director and dramaturg Kimille Howard. Lalovavi is anticipated to be the first grand opera on an Afrofuturist theme—a large-scale work in three acts for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.
Lalovavi will premiere on Juneteenth 2025 (Thursday, June 19, 2025) as part of Cincinnati Opera’s 2025 Summer Festival.
Lalovavi Lead Funder:
The David C. Herriman Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation
looking ahead
The second opera in The Black Opera Project will take place during Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival and will be based on the life of Congressman John Lewis, featuring music by Maria Thompson Corley, libretto by Diana Solomon Glover, and stage direction by Timothy Douglas; full details, along with the third work in the Black Opera Project, will be announced at a later date.
“We’re thankful for the visionary artists and supporters who challenged us to think differently about the types of narratives we present onstage. The Black Opera Project marks an important next step in our longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, and we can’t wait to share these inspiring and uplifting stories about the Black community with the world.”
—Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director
The Black Opera Project was made possible, in part, through the generous support of
