JOHN lEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE
JuNE 18, 2027 | 7:30 PM
JUNE 20, 2027 | 3:00 PM
Music Hall • springer auditorium
Music by Maria Thompson Corley
Libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover
Sung in English with projected lyrics
LOVE’S beacon shall shine bright.
Librettist Diana Solomon-Glover and composer Maria Thompson Corley weave together the heartwarming, heroic story of a boy from humble beginnings, armored only in his belief in “The Beloved Community,” who puts his life on the line to secure the right to vote for all Americans and becomes an icon of The American Civil Rights Movement.
Tickets to individual performances go on sale Tuesday, February 9, 2027.
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*Tut is a language that is indigenous to Black Americans and passed down from their enslaved ancestors, who developed Tut as a mechanism for learning how to read and write when it was illegal for them to do so. The title of the opera, “lalovavi,” is the Tut word for “love.”
the black opera project
Lalovavi is the first work in Cincinnati Opera’s groundbreaking, three-opera commissioning initiative, The Black Opera Project, that engages creators to develop new works celebrating Black stories.
CAST & creative team
Persephone – Brittany Olivia Logan
Dinah – Adrienne Danrich
Titan – Morris Robinson
Niamara – Talise Trevigne
Zipporah – Zoie Reams
Lucian – Terrence Chin-Loy
Dr. Apollos – Michael Preacely
Ivavi – G. Thomas Allen
Composer – Kevin Day
Librettist – Tifara Brown
Conductor – Kevin Miller
Director & Dramaturg – Kimille Howard
Scenic Designer – Steven C. Kemp
Costume Designer – Kara Harmon
Lighting Designer – Thomas C. Hase
Wig & Makeup Designer – Tiara Jones
Wig Master and Key Make-Up Artist – James Geier
Choreographer – Chloe O. Davis
Chorus Master – Donald Lee III
Co-Orchestrator/Copyist – Josh Trentadue
Stage Manager – Peter Nictakis
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
Photos by Philip Groshong
DISCOVER MORE
Opera Insights
Enhance your appreciation of Lalovavi with a pre-curtain talk one hour before each performance in Music Hall's Corbett Tower. Members of the artistic staff and/or guests offer a 30-minute overview and insights into the opera's history, music, and production. Free to all ticket holders. No reservations required.
The Story Before the Story
Rise of Titan: A Prequel to Lalovavi tells the origin story of the figure who will one day become Titan, launching an epic journey that leads to Lalovavi. Written by Tifara Brown and illustrated by Michael Taylor, the graphic comic book is a result of a creative partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC). Copies are available for purchase at the Bravo Shop during performances of Lalovavi and online here.
watch
Composer Kevin Day and librettist Tifara Brown discuss their insights, inspirations, and creative process for Lalovavi.
Watch
Composer Kevin Day at the piano with soprano Talise Travigne singing “Love, Come to Me,” with words by librettist Tifara Brown.
Watch
WLWT-TV’s Courtis Fuller talks with composer Kevin Day, librettist Tifara Brown, stage director Kimille Howard, and conductor Kevin Miller in this episode of Let’s Talk Cincy in 2025.
WATCH
CET/ThinkTV’s The Art Show featured a story on Lalovavi, including interviews with star Morris Robinson, composer Kevin Day, and librettist Tifara Brown.
Listen
In this Cincinnati Edition with WVXU’s Lucy May, composer Kevin Day, librettist Tifara Brown, and Cincinnati Opera Director of Community Engagement Tracy Wilson discuss the creation of Lalovavi.
Follow the Creation of Lalovavi
Meet the Composer
Kevin Day
Kevin Day is an internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, and jazz pianist based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Known for his exuberant, introspective, and groove-oriented composition style, Day’s music fuses genres such as jazz, contemporary classical, R&B, soul, and more. Day has been performed by some of the world’s top instrumental soloists, wind bands, chamber ensembles, and symphony orchestras.
MEET THE LIBRETTIST
Photo: Philip Groshong
Tifara Brown
Tifara Brown is a writer, performance poet, oral historian, and activist with roots in Southern Georgia, who has built a personal brand on the advancement of Black American history, cultural preservation, and community relations. Her poems have been published in Quartz Literary, Wingless Dreamer Publisher, Sunspot Literary Journal, Gulf Stream Literary Magazine, Minerva Rising Press, Haunted Waters Press, Main Street Rag Publishing Company, Club Plum Literary Journal and Words, and Whispers Literary Journal.
Lead funding for Lalovavi provided by:
the David C. Herriman Fund
of Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Production Sponsors:
Additional Support Provided by:
The Black Opera Project is made possible through the generous support of:
Mellon Foundation • Susan & Joseph Pichler • Ann & Harry Santen • Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation • Rachel A. Rowe and Michael L. Cioffi
Liz Kathman Grubow & Jerry Kathman • Friends of The Black Opera Project
Cover Image by © Dr. Sam Martin/DigitalWildArt