Edit Note: This event was rescheduled to Jan. 24.
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Musical Louisiana presents the world premiere of New Orleanian Edmond Dédé’s “Morgiane” (1887) on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the St. Louis Cathedral. This historic composition remains the earliest known surviving full-length opera written by a Black American composer.
When New Orleans’s OperaCréole cofounder Givonna Joseph learned of Dédé’s newly discovered manuscript, she made it her mission to bring his full opera to life on the stage. After more than a decade of work, her dream is now realized. The concert marks a pivotal moment in the repatriation of New Orleans composer Dédé’s life, music and legacy. The city’s musical and cultural powerhouses will finally unveil this previously unheard work in the composer’s hometown, in St. Louis Cathedral, where Dédé was baptized in January of 1828.
Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) will host a preconcert panel discussion with Joseph and Patrick Dupre Quigley (Opera Lafayette), Dédé biographer Sally McKee (University of California, Davis), and musicologist Candace Bailey (North Carolina Central University) moderated by HNOC family historian Jari C. Honora.
Founded in 2007, Musical Louisiana is a free, educational concert for music lovers in New Orleans and throughout the state. Dedicated to the study of Louisiana’s contributions to the world of classical music, the award-winning series reaches an audience of more than 30,000 individuals through live radio broadcasts and online video streaming of the concert.
Admission to Musical Louisiana is free and open to the public. RSVP at hnoc.org to receive concert reminders and email updates. Seating is first-come, first-served. Registration does not guarantee a seat.
This year’s concert will be streamed live on LPOmusic.com and WLAE.com. WWNO will broadcast the program on 89.9 FM and Classical 104.9 FM in the New Orleans area and KTLN 90.5 FM in the Houma-Thibodaux area.
| WHEN & WHERE: | Thursday, Jan. 23 A pre-concert lecture begins at 5 p.m. at HNOC’s Williams Research Center (410 Chartres St.) The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Louis Cathedral. |
