Boston Lyric Opera’s production of The Wanderer’s Tethering returns to the Prior Performing Arts Center at College of the Holy Cross! This piece, which BLO premiered in June 2023, combines poetry by Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola and music by composer, vocalist, and multimedia artist Mason Bynes. It follows the story of Tobi, a descendant of the Igbo community, whose members were stolen from modern-day Nigeria and led a revolt on the shores of Georgia in 1803. Bynes’s music merges Negro spirituals and Igbo folkloric music, reflecting the transformation experienced by the contemporary protagonist as she claims her own identity. The program will also include stirring selections of vocal music and string quartets performed by BLO artists and Castle of Our Skins.
The Wanderer’s Tethering is the second performance from Poetry in Music, a Boston Lyric Opera initiative bringing together the work of prominent poets and opera composers with roots in Boston to create new musical works and artistic experiences.
About The Wanderer’s Tethering
Poetry by Porsha Olayiwola
Music by Mason Bynes
Commissioned by Boston Lyric Opera With lead commissioning support by Merrill Family Charitable Foundation
Premiered by Boston Lyric Opera in June 2023
For more information or to purchase tickets: The Wanderer’s Tethering | Prior Performing Arts Center (holycross.edu)