I, Too, sing america - educational outreach

The I, Too, Sing America series presented by Opera Project Columbus features long forgotten works written by Black composers. The goal of the project has been to retrieve great opera compositions that had been long forgotten due to the shameful history of racism in the opera world and make this music known and available to the public domain where it can be celebrated and appreciated.

The initial program was filmed in February 2021 at a shuttered Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. During this phase in the pandemic, performances had been paused, performers were out of work, audiences were not able to gather and the arts as a whole were in a state on limbo. The riots of racial unrest that occurred in the Summer of 2020 made this project even more important and timely.

Part 1 in this now series of 5 was broadcast on WBNS - 10 TV so that audiences that were stuck in their homes, as many of us were at that time, could enjoy the feeling of being out for the evening enjoying opera. We were able to bring this art form to living rooms throughout Central Ohio and introduce many not only to opera, but to these forgotten works.

This presentation went on to win the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s, Columbus Makes Art Excellence Award, Organizations with Budgets under $1 million.

In January of 2023, we were able to welcome a live audience to the recording of Parts 2 and 3 of the series. In the fall of 2023, the final two installments were recorded and we look forward to sharing those with you soon.

With the help of the Opera Project Columbus staff and Spyroll Studios, these works can be enjoyed for years to come, and we are hopeful that they spark conversation and appreciation as they pay tribute to these prolific composers.

Please enjoy, I, Too, Sing America presented by Opera Project Columbus.

Filmed at The Lincoln Theatre in February 2021 and airing on WBNS - 10 TV during Black History Month, I, Too, Sing America features resurrected works written by Black composers, some with Ohio ties and features some of Ohio’s most talented Black singers as well as local students and community members. This piece is not only musically rich but serves as an important educational piece that has been shared Nationwide.

We are thrilled that this presentation won the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s, Columbus Makes Art Excellence Award, Organizations with Budgets under $1 million. We are honored and touched by the support and community response.

In conjunction with Huntington Bank and Columbus Kiwanis, we are bringing our program I, Too, Sing America into area schools with a facilitator educating students about opera as an art form as well as the historical significance of the Black composers, poetry and spirituals featured in the program.

Recorded by Opera Project Columbus, January 15, 2023 at The Lincoln Theatre, Columbus, Ohio.

Featuring Justin T. Swain, Baritone; Ed Bak, pianist; Toni Smith, Narrator

"Rediscovered Works: I, Too, Sing America - Part 2” explores a variety of works of London born Coleridge-Taylor who had three tours of the United States in the early 1900’s. He was referred to by these audiences as the “Black Mahler” though some would consider him a bigger phenomenon. In 1904, Coleridge-Taylor was received at The White House by President Theodore Roosevelt, a rare event in those days for a man of African descent. His best-known work was The Song of Hiawatha, which made his name known throughout the world.

Recorded by Opera Project Columbus, January 15,2023 at The Lincoln Theatre, Columbus, Ohio.

Featuring Dione Parker Bennett, Soprano; Calvin Griffin, Bass-baritone; Justin T. Swain, Baritone; Ed Bak, pianist; Toni Smith, Narrator

"Rediscovered Works: I, Too, Sing America - Part 3” explores the works of Shirley Graham Du Bois. She was an American writer, playwright, composer and activist for African American causes, among others. She was married to W.E.B. Du Bois. While studying music composition at the Sorbonne in Paris, she was introduced to Africans and Afro-Caribbean people which introduced her to new music and cultures. She later went on to attend Howard University and Oberlin College. In 1932, she composed the opera Tom Tom: An Epic of Music and the Negro which premiered in Cleveland, Ohio; and was only performed once to an audience of over 25,000 people in two evenings. The show featured an all-Black cast and orchestra and had been commissioned by the Stadium Opera Company. Tom Tom communicates a deep commitment to reconciling African music in a contemporary, American context. The work then became lost. In 2001, the papers of Du Bois were acquired by Harvard University, where her husband had been the first Black graduate. The efforts of musicologists, historians, and scholars has reinvigorated interest in this forgotten work.

Parts 4 & 5 Coming Soon!

OPERA PROJECT COLUMBUS’ DIVERSITY PROJECT…

Opera Project Columbus’ Diversity Project is an initiative that aims to enliven the opera world with the support of the African American community, to engage those with a love for the arts and make their place in the opera world one of belonging. We aim to increase the size of our African American audiences, to continue to help emerging Black opera singers finance their audition videos to help further their careers, and to continue to educate and resurrect the forgotten opera music written by Black composers and bring those works into the mainstream.

Opera Project Columbus has hosted receptions following our performances to give community members the opportunity to mix and mingle with our singers and musicians to further nurture their appreciation of the art form.

We have awarded winners of our Young Singers of Color Audition Video Scholarship, funding the production of professional audition videos to further the careers of amazing up and coming talents.

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let’s go to the opera!

We believe in the importance of exposure to the arts. One way that we can help is by ensuring that our youth can attend the opera. We offer free student tickets for area middle and high school groups as well as the opportunity for them to volunteer for service hours. Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis. For more information on free tickets or school group reservations, please email here.

To sponsor a school group to attend one of our performances, please do so here.

**You can help send students to the opera!**

VIVA Academy

In response to the cancellation of continuing educational opportunities and music festivals in the Summer of 2020, the idea of VIVA Academy (Virtual Intensive Vocal Academy) was born. This allowed Opera Project Columbus to facilitate high caliber educational programming with esteemed faculty and both rising and established talent. Courses, held via Zoom are highly interactive and cover a wide variety of opera, music, and performance topics. The series has been so successful that we held a session for opera lovers as well to help build a better appreciation for the world of opera.

For more information regarding future VIVA Academy sessions, please email here.