VIDEO: Terence Blanchard, James Robinson & More Discuss FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES

Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones - the first opera by a Black composer ever performed by the Met is now on stage. Watch in the video below as General Manager Peter Gelb discusses Fire Shut Up in My Bones with members of the production's creative team, including composer Terence Blanchard, co-director James Robinson, and Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones is the first work by a Black composer to be presented at the Met. Based on Charles M. Blow's moving memoir of the same name and featuring a libretto by Kasi Lemmons, the new staging is co-directed by James Robinson and Camille A. Brown. Brown, who is also the production's choreographer, becomes the first Black director to create a mainstage Met production. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a stellar cast, led by Will Liverman as Charles, Angel Blue as Destiny/Loneliness/Greta, and Latonia Moore as Billie.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones tells a poignant and profound story about a young man's journey to overcome a lifetime of trauma and hardship. The opera follows Charles through his adolescence and ultimately leads to a fateful moment: when he must decide whether to break free from his trauma and begin to rebuild his life.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. The production is commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. The opera premiered to great acclaim and was originally commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, co-commissioned by Jazz St. Louis. The creative team includes set designer Allen Moyer, costume designer Paul Tazewell, lighting designer Christopher Akerlind, and projection designer Greg Emetaz.