ASU Professor Brings Opera From Classroom To World Stage

A new work by Arizona State University School of Music Professor of Practice Daniel Bernard Roumain is re-shaping what the world thought Opera could be. The critically acclaimed work titled "We Shall Not Be Moved" is a "rare piece in the operatic world - a multi-disciplinary work created by artists of color that addresses race relations in America..." according to Lynne MacDonald, a communications specialist at the School of Music.

MacDonald writes "We Shall Not Be Moved" debuted on Sept. 16 at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia with sold-out performances. The opera then moved to the Apollo Theater in New York on Oct. 6, and will be performed in Amsterdam and London in the coming months. A U.S. tour is being planned for the 2018-2019 season."

Librettist Marc Bamuthi came up with the concept following an incident in 1985 involving local law enforcement and MOVE, a multi-cultural liberation organization.

The ASU blog notes that opera has been called "not just the future of opera, but ... the past, present and future of African-American cultural expression, too" by Kamilah Forbes, the Apollo Theatre's executive producer.

For more information on "We Shall Not Be Moved" check out the original article here!

Photo: ASU Blog