Treemonisha at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

Opera Orlando concludes its 2024-25 Destiny + Desire season with an all-new treatment of Scott Joplin’s only opera, Treemonisha. A truly astounding work that resonates on many levels, it is the only opera in existence about the Reconstruction Era African-American experience written by a black man who lived it firsthand. Treemonisha is a young African-American woman who finds herself on a path to leadership. Through Treemonisha’s confrontation with the conjurers, the community realizes the value of education, and Treemonisha leads them all into a bright and bountiful future of education, opportunity, and prosperity. Admire the beauty of community and the power within Black women with Roberta Emerson’s new production, which reflects the historical roots of this "ragtime" opera while drawing parallels with the present day. Joining her in telling this beautiful story of the strength and beauty of the Black community is conductor Everett McCorvey. He returns to Orlando to conduct Joplin's tuneful score which is a lively mix of ragtime, vaudeville, and grand opera, with a big helping of heart and soul.