Relive your favorite operas all month long! Cincinnati’s classical public radio station, 90.9 WGUC, presents a series of special encore performances every Sunday at 8:00 PM through November. Tune in to 90.9 WGUC or wguc.org to listen.
Cincinnati Opera collaborated with Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Philadelphia to co-commission Margaret Garner, an opera inspired by the true story of an enslaved woman who attempted to escape with her family from Northern Kentucky to freedom across the Ohio River. When the authorities closed in, Margaret made the horrific decision to sacrifice her children rather than see them returned to the bonds of slavery. With music by Grammy Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour and a libretto by celebrated author Toni Morrison, Margaret Garner starred the luminous mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in the title role.
Originally performed in 2005 at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Richard Danielpour; libretto by Toni Morrison
Stefan Lano, conductor; Kenny Leon, stage director
Featuring Denyce Graves, Angela Brown, Gregg Baker, Rod Gilfry, Nancy Allen Lundy, Chad Shelton, Roger Honeywell, and Marco Panuccio
Resources:
“Notes on Margaret Garner” by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison
“Margaret’s Desperate Solution” by Delores M. Walters