Daniel Roumain Removed From Tulsa Opera Concert Over Lyrics in Commissioned Piece
The 'Greenwood Overcomes' concert commemorates the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre,
By: Stephi Wild Mar. 22, 2021
Tulsa Opera has removed Daniel Roumain from its lineup for an upcoming concert due to lyrics he wrote in a commissioned piece.
As part of its upcoming "Greenwood Overcomes" concert on Saturday, May 1st commemorating the centennial of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Tulsa Opera commissioned four new pieces from contemporary Black composers.
All four of the composers were asked to write a piece for a specific singer and their voice type. Daniel Bernard Roumain was commissioned to compose a piece to be performed by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves.
The piece that Mr. Roumain submitted, "They Still Want to Kill Us," contained lyrics that Ms. Graves felt uneasy singing. A statement from Tulsa Opera says that Ms. Graves expressed her concerns to Mr. Roumain, and he was asked if he would consider altering his lyrics. He declined.
According to a tweet from Roumain, the lyrics in question were "God Bless America, God Damn America!"
@TulsaOpera just DEcommissoned me. I was asked to create a new work for them. I composed the words and music for a new aria, and the last 2 lines are, "God Bless America; God Damn America!" They asked me to omit "Damn". I refused. They fired me. Life in Black America. pic.twitter.com/ij6KqG9bB4
- Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) (@DBRmusic) March 19, 2021
Ms. Graves said: "As a Black woman I am a huge supporter of all Black Lives, Black expression, and creativity. I don't have trouble with strong lyrics, but I felt that they did not line up with my personal values. I could not find an honest place to express the lyrics as they were presented."
Mr. Roumain was informed that, as Ms. Graves was not comfortable performing his piece as written, and as he was unwilling to work to find a compromise, his work would no longer be part of the concert program. He will receive his full commissioning fee.
General Director & CEO of Tulsa Opera, Ken McConnell, says: "Tulsa Opera is proud to bring together 22 Black living composers and eight remarkable Black singers for the "Greenwood Overcomes" concert that is being presented as part of important city-wide centennial commemorative events. While disappointed that a compromise could not be reached on one of the commissioned works, the concert artists and Tulsa Opera remain committed to presenting a memorable civic event."
Read the full statement on https://tulsaopera.com/.
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