Omar

Winner of the 2023
Pulitzer Prize in Music

Music by Rhiannon Giddens & Michael Abels
Libretto by Rhiannon Giddens
Director Kaneza Schaal
Published by and presented with permission of
Subito Music Corporation

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
Thursday, May 4, 2023 | 7:30PM
Saturday, May 6, 2023 | 7:30PM
Sunday, May 7, 2023 | 3PM

Sung in English with English surtitles

SOLD OUT


10 Memorable Classical Music Moments from 2023
The Boston Globe

In 1807, 37-year-old Fula Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said was captured and forced to leave his home in West Africa on a ship bound for Charleston, South Carolina, where he was sold into slavery. Making its New England premiere with Boston Lyric Opera, this record of Said’s remarkable life and Muslim faith reveals a refusal to be defined or erased by his captors. Through the shifting darkness of memories and imagination, Omar invites us to bear witness to one man’s journey in remaining true to himself, his people, and his faith – against all odds.

This collaboration between Rhiannon Giddens – a Grammy Award-winning musician and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant – and Michael Abels – the acclaimed composer of the Oscar-nominated film Get Out – infuses the conventional Western orchestra with the sounds and melodies of Americana, Arabic, and West African folk music to create this radiant narrative of strength, resilience and conviction.

Omar is inspired by Said’s 1831 autobiography – one of his fourteen Arabic manuscripts, and the only known surviving account of American slavery written in Arabic. Named one of the best classical performances of 2022 by The New York Times and awarded the 2023 Jury Award by the Society of Composers and Lyricists, Omar sheds light on a long-disregarded true story, lifting it to new heights with a richly orchestrated score and stirring performances that form an essential experience for any operagoer.

Omar is co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and co-commissioned by LA Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Carolina Performing Arts, Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Omar is inspired by Dr. Ala Alryyes’s translation of Omar Ibn Said’s autobiography in his book A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said.

Omar Synopsis by Allison Chu

ACT I

Futa Toro (present-day Senegal), 1807. Omar ibn Said recites the Qur’an. Omar’s Mother leads the village in prayer to Allah, asking for guidance and assistance. Slavers have been pillaging the region, and Omar’s brother, convinced that an agreement will secure peace, plans to negotiate with them. While Omar prefers to leave his fate in Allah’s hands, his brother is determined to control his destiny, and he leaves to continue the negotiations. Omar’s brother soon discovers that he has been deceived, and the village is raided. Slavers overrun the village and begin taking people prisoner. In the chaos, Omar is separated from his family, and his mother is murdered.

The Middle Passage. Omar is shackled with other men in the hold of a ship. They do not speak the same language and struggle to introduce themselves. Inhumane conditions have caused disease and death. Two white slavers watch over the prisoners, concerned about their future profits.

The Slave Market, Charleston, South Carolina. Julie, an enslaved woman, is dragged into the market for sale by a white kidnapper. She plans to escape and return to the Owen plantation in Fayetteville. At the market, she encounters Omar, but he cannot understand her English. Undeterred, she tells Omar that if he were to escape, he should find Master James Owen in Fayetteville. The auction begins, and a family is separated. Omar’s cap is taken from him and discarded. Julie retrieves it. Omar prays and is visited by his Mother. He notices that Julie has gotten free of her bonds. To create a diversion, Omar falls to his knees and prays loudly, giving Julie a chance to escape. Omar is sold to Johnson.

Johnson plantation. Enslaved workers talk about the newcomer, Omar. Johnson demonstrates his vicious temperament. He yells at Omar in an attempt to break him, but from Omar’s perspective, the words are garbled; Omar cannot understand him. Finally, Johnson sends Omar to pick cotton in the fields.

Five months later. The spirit of Omar’s mother encourages Omar to pray to Allah and reminds him of Julie’s guidance. As Johnson approaches, Omar flees.

ACT II

Fayetteville County Jail. Omar has been captured and brought to the county jail, where he prays and writes on the jail walls. The people of Fayetteville swirl with questions about Omar: Where did he come from? Who let him get away? Omar’s writing, captures the attention of the daughter of plantation owner James Owen. Calling his writing “magic,” she encourages Owen to purchase Omar. Owen is fascinated by Omar’s religious piety and believes Omar can be converted to Christianity.

Owen plantation. Katie Ellen, one of the enslaved workers on the plantation, is surprised that Julie came back. Owen introduces Omar to the other enslaved people, and they welcome him and warn him of the dangers that persist there.  Omar prays, asking for another sign from Allah, and he is reunited with Julie. She reveals that her father had worn a cap like his and had prayed in the same way. But her father was sold away when she was young. She encourages Omar to hold on “to memories, to histories, to feelings.”

Owen’s study. Omar is summoned and accompanied by Katie Ellen and Julie to Owen’s study. Owen and Taylor, a visitor from the North, discuss the prospect of converting Omar to Christianity. Owen gives Omar a Bible written in Arabic, and he and Taylor ask Omar to write the beginning of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead, Omar secretly expresses his desire to go home.

Later that day. Omar stands alone under a tree reading the Arabic Bible. He reflects on his life, thinks of his mother, and asks for forgiveness from Allah. In the final scene, Julie is amazed that Omar can read and write. She encourages him to write a book to tell his story, and Omar’s mother joins her call. Omar’s faith flows through his pen.

——-
Allison Chu is a PhD candidate in music history at Yale University. Her research focuses on the intersection of identity and opera in the twenty-first century. Additional contributions made by the Omar creative team.

Rhiannon Giddens

Composer

Michael Abels

Composer

Michael Ellis Ingram

Conductor

Kaneza Schall

Director

Christopher Myers

Production Designer

Jackie Davis

Intimacy Director

Kiara Benn

Choreographer

Amy Rubin

Set Designer

April Hickman

Costume Designer

Micheline Russell-Brown

Costume Designer

Lucrecia Briceno

Lighting Designer

Alejandro Fajardo

Lighting Co-Designer

Joshua Higgason

Video Designer

Frandresha Hall

Wig-Makeup Designer

Jamez McCorkle

Omar

Cierra Byrd

Fatima, Omar’s Mother

Daniel Okulitch

James Owen / Johnson

Brianna J. Robinson

Julie

Neal Ferreira

Auctioneer / Taylor

Emma Sorenson

Eliza, Little Daughter

Catherine Daniel

Katie Ellen / The Caller

Nicholas LaGesse

Abdul, Omar’s Brother / Abe

Fred C. VanNess Jr.

Amadou

Christon Carney

Suleiman

Christopher Humbert Jr.

Olufemi

ORCHESTRA

VIOLIN I

Heidi Braun-Hill
Jodi Hagen
Zenas Hsu
Yeolim Nam
Annie Rabbat
Christine Vitale

VIOLIN II

Stacey Alden
Sarah Atwood
Robert Curtis
Colin Davis
Rohan Gregory

VIOLA

David Feltner
Donna Jerome
Don Krishnaswami
Kenneth Stalberg

CELLO

Steven Laven
Jing Li
Jan Pfeiffer-Rios

BASS

Barry Boettger
Robert Lynam

FLUTE

Ann Bobo
Iva Milch

OBOE

Nancy Dimock
Grace Shryock

CLARINET

Nicholas Brown
Jan Halloran

BASSOON

Rachel Juszczak
Margaret Phillips

HORN

Dirk Hillyer
Clark Matthews

TRUMPET

Bruce Hall
Jesse Levine

TROMBONE

Hans Bohn
Robert Couture
Cameron Owen

TIMPANI

Jeffrey Fischer

PERCUSSION

William Manley
Gregory Simonds
Nancy Smith

HARP

Ina Zdorovetchi

PIANO

Brendon Shapiro

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

219 Tremont Street | Boston, MA | 02116

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
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

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Several MBTA “T” stations are within blocks of the theater.

  • Green Line Stop: Boylston Street
  • Orange Line Stop: Chinatown, Downtown Crossing
  • Red Line Stop: Park Street Station, Downtown Crossing
  • For schedules, fares, and alerts, visit the MBTA.

ACCESSIBLE PARKING

Vehicles displaying a valid ADA placard can find accessible parking spaces directly around the corner from the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre on Stuart Street in front of Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.

The LAZ Parking Garage at 660 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111 is also designed to accommodate accessibility needs.

STREET PARKING

Street parking is very limited in the Theatre District. Parking is not permitted on Washington Street or Tremont Street in front of the theatre at any time.

GARAGE PARKING

There are many parking garages within a few blocks of our theatres. Many offer evening or event rates. Please contact each garage directly for the most up-to-date information.

PRAYER SPACE
 
A designated Prayer Space is located on the mezzanine landing and will be available during intermission and as needed before, during, and after the show. Sinks for ablutions are located in restrooms on the basement and balcony levels. If you need assistance finding the Prayer Space or bypassing a bathroom line to perform Wudu, please ask an usher for assistance.

“Striking…stunning…imaginative…BLO’s ‘Omar’ is a prayer answered!”

“A poetic and meditative prayer honoring the memory of enslaved Muslims”

“Soprano Brianna J. Robinson [is] a radiant voice and presence.”
– Boston Globe
May 8, 2023

“Omar triumphed in a sold-out run!”

“intelligent and emotionally gripping {that] evoked beauty, revulsion, fear, and the universality of humanity”

“Cierra Byrd consistently produced heart-wrenching and warm tones.”

“Brianna J. Robinson shined…rightfully earning applause at the end of her aria.”

“Jamez McCorkle gave the standout performance through his emotive facial expressions and his powerful, clear, and rich voice.”

“Everyone involved in the BLO’s production of Omar deserves praise for putting on such a thoughtful, emotional, and above all excellent show”
– Boston Musical Intelligencer
May 11, 2023

“OMAR’s storytelling is an act of life and liberation…active, purposeful, and dramaturgically satisfying”

“Expansive in both scope and depth…[with a] robust score that seamlessly integrates musical influences across geographic and temporal lines.”

“In the hands of Rhiannon Giddens, Michael Abels, and Kaneza Schaal, OMAR is a séance…Omar’s spirit, with a host of others, was alive!”
– New England Theater Geek
May 9, 2023

Boston Lyric Opera CEO Brad Vernatter – Bloomberg News Boston

Boston Lyric Opera CEO Brad Vernatter – Bloomberg News Boston (Version 2)

Abels and Ingram on BLO Opera Omar – Boston Musical Intelligencer

Confronting history in ‘Omar’ – The Bay State Banner

Things to do around Boston this weekend and beyond – Boston Globe “The Ticket”

Hear what people are saying about this new opera –

“Remarkable…a sweeping achievement… inspired by bluegrass, hymns, spirituals and more”
“Moving, joyous and intensely spiritual!”
“an unforced ideal of American sound: expansive and ever-changing.”
New York Times

“A hit! Gripping and beautiful.”
Atlanta Journal Construction

“[a] tonal, lushly orchestrated score”
Wall Street Journal

“A broadly American story…and a thoroughly American opera…[with] lush orchestrations”
“The creative team cleverly interprets interweavings of language and believe on the opera stage.”
NPR

“Profound and moving”
– Arts ATL

Please note that at the Emerson Cutler Majestic wheelchair accessible locations are only located on the Orchestra level as this historic venue does not have an elevator to serve upper floors.

Masks strongly recommended but not required inside the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre.

Dive deeper into the musical experience with a half-hour discussion immediately following each performance.

May 4, 2023 |Ashleigh Gordon, Castle of Our Skins Artistic & Executive Director; professional violist
May 6, 2023 | Ala Alryyes, PhD Associate Professor Queens College, CUNY 2011 translation of Omar ibn Said’s Life, entitled: A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said.
May 7, 2023 | Morgan Beckford, Director of Community Connects, Silk Road Project; professional singer.

Over the last few years, we have been in the bones of the country. The bones of our own psyches. And we have been in the bones of our industry, of opera, of what it means to gather and share breath.

The opera we share with you touches all these bones: the story of Omar ibn Said, a Fulani man, forced to the United States and enslaved, literate before stolen from his home in West Africa, and author of an autobiography.

The West has a fantasy of its singularity, it imagines itself as consistent and fixed. Opera lost itself to that lie. Tonight, we return the opera to itself. A form built on hundreds of years of cultural exchange, sonic exchange, formal and aesthetic encounters with “others.” A form dependent on many different kinds of artists teaming up. A form built of hybridity. Perhaps one of the only places big enough for Said’s journey, the contradiction, the violence, the holiness, the omissions, the terror, and the triumph.

Slavery, of course, existed before people were torn from their homes in West Africa at gunpoint and enslaved in the United States. The institution of American Slavery created and named a permanent condition attached to your body.

The ferocious clarity in American Slavery on the power of language was such that one of the most sacrosanct laws was that you could not teach enslaved people to read. Or write.

And here, we have a text! From Omar ibn Said. Written by Omar. An Islamic scholar who was literate before mercenaries enslaved him. His autobiography is the prayer from which the music and words you hear tonight were created. The glory and triumph that his words exist, even if generated under duress, is holy.

We gather to tell you Said’s story through the contest of languages in his life, spiritual languages, cultural languages, spoken and written languages, the language of materials like wood and fabric. And ultimately, his holding of all these languages simultaneously brims with resistance, omission, refusal, and reincarnation.

Listening to the story of Omar ibn Said tonight, together, let us begin resetting the bones.

KANEZA SCHAAL
Director