(Click on image to enlarge)
Nearly 100 years after it was written, Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha will debut in The Bahamas at the Dundas Centre for The Performing Arts on July 6th. Under the direction of Dr. Cleveland Williams, Joplin’s three-act opera will be performed by an all Bahamian cast of more than 57 artists in commemoration of the 36th anniversary of Bahamian independence. Gala night proceeds will benefit the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Foundation.
The story is an inspiring look into the life of a rural African American community whose townspeople, led by young heroine Treemonisha, advance themselves in the post-slavery era by rejecting long held superstitions and deep rooted ignorance in favour of hard work and a commitment to education. [More (pdf)]
Scott Joplin’s ragtime opera Treemonisha will be staged on July 6 at the Dundas Centre for the Performing Arts under the direction of Bahamian baritone Dr. Cleveland Williams (left) in aid of local charities including the Sir Victor Sassoon (Bahamas) Heart Association. Chairman of the Heart Association, R. E. Barnes is pictured, right.
(Click on image to enlarge)
It is inspiring to hear of the performances of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha” in Nassau, starting July 6, 2009, under the direction of Dr. Cleveland Williams, the Bahamian baritone. The Scott Joplin page at http://www.AfriClassical.com explains “Treemonisha” was first staged in January, 1972 in a concert performance. It was staged in Atlanta, Georgia by the Afro-American Music Workshop of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw, conductor. The opera concludes with “A Real Slow Drag”. On January 30, 1972 The New York Times published a review by Harold C. Schonberg which said, in part: “This slow drag is amazing. Harmonically enchanting, full of the tensions of an entire race, rhythmically catching, it refuses to leave the mind. Talk about soul music!” I invite readers to visit the Scott Joplin page at my website.