Scott Joplin's Treemonisha
Produced by Volcano Theatre with Moveable Beast Collective and co-commissioned by Stanford Live
Thu, April 23, 2020 at 7:30pm PT
Past EventFri, April 24, 2020 at 7:30pm PT
Past EventSat, April 25, 2020 at 8:00pm PT
Past EventSun, April 26, 2020 at 2:30pm PT
Past Event
Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center
COST:
$42-$84
All prices and programs subject to change.
In response to domestic coronavirus developments, Stanford University is strongly discouraging all large-scale university gatherings, effective March 4 through May 15. Stanford Live, in compliance with the university’s decision, is moving to cancel large-scale performances within this time frame. This performance has been canceled—read more.
In 1911, famed ragtime composer Scott Joplin wrote Treemonisha, the first opera about life post-slavery by a black person. Musically, it fused classical, folk, and gospel, and bore ragtime’s syncopations. Thematically, it was ahead of its time. Joplin never saw the work fully staged—he died in 1917 and was buried in a pauper’s grave, bankrupted by the expense of publishing Treemonisha. In a new adaptation by Leah-Simone Bowen and co-librettist Cheyl L. Davis, with new orchestrations and arrangements by Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth and choreography by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Treemonisha is reborn for the 21st century.
The Saturday, April 25 performance of Treemonisha will be Stanford Live’s Bing Fling, our annual event to thank our generous Bing members. Join or renew your Bing membership to receive complimentary tickets to this event, including a special dinner and reception prior to the performance.
Acknowledgements
Scott Joplin's Treemonisha was co-commissioned by Stanford Live with support from a Hewlett Foundation 50 Arts Commission and the Stanford Live Commissions and Programming Fund; National Arts Centre, Canada with support from the National Creation Fund; Washington Performing Arts; the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity; Minnesota Opera; and Southbank Centre, London UK. The production has received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council. The Stanford Live presentation is generously supported by Mary and Clinton Gilliland, the Koret Foundation, and the Stanford Presidential Residencies on the Future of the Arts.
Scott Joplin's Treemonisha was supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Helen F. Whitaker Fund, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., New York State Council on the Arts, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Anonymous.
The performance of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha on April 25 as part of Stanford Live's Bing Fling event is generously supported by Marcia and John Goldman.
The Stanford Live presentation is generously supported by Mary and Clinton Gilliland, the Koret Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Stanford Presidential Residencies on the Future of the Arts.
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Related Events
Thu, April 23, 2020 at 7:30pm PT
Past EventFri, April 24, 2020 at 7:30pm PT
Past EventSat, April 25, 2020 at 8:00pm PT
Past EventSun, April 26, 2020 at 2:30pm PT
Past Event
Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center
COST:
$42-$84
All prices and programs subject to change.
When the producing team approached me with the idea of developing a new adaptation of Joplin's opera, focusing on strong female leadership and its impact on community, I knew that it would be an important anchor for our season.
—Chris Lorway, Executive Director