Pulitzer Prize winning composer, Anthony Davis’s jazz improvisation infused, contemporary score traces the path of a figure that grasps the attention of America in biography and legacy. Through a series of vignettes, X outlines the life of Malcolm X from boyhood to his assassination in 1965, discovering the past, present and future vision of “a prophet in search of a Black utopia, charting a course for the future” describes Tony winning director, Robert O’Hara. The opera does that, from the writers all the way down to the performers.” Because Malcolm, in his idea of the organization of Afro-American unity, wanted to exemplify or magnify the arts for Afro-Americans. “Then to see the collaboration between the band, ensemble, jazz, dance, of all these art forms in one place, in one display, I know it would have made Malcolm proud, culturally. “To see the representation of black people in opera was a phenomenal sight to see,” remembered Louis. Both Louis and LeFlore-Ejike were able to see the premiere performance in Detroit this past spring. Co-produced with four other opera companies, Detroit Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Seattle Opera, the Opera Omaha production will be the second in line in this massive, revived work. The upcoming opera production promises to be a fit cultural event for the celebration of his recent Hall of Fame selection. The Malcolm X Memorial, which is located on Malcolm’s birth site in North Omaha, serves to bring residents together to remember the legacy of Malcolm X through tours, educational programs, town hall forums and special events. That doesn’t happen all the time, to have a community win” said LeFlore-Ejike. Additionally, coming up in November, Opera Omaha will produce the opera X, the Life and Times of Malcolm X, which will be performed in Omaha before going to the Metropolitan Opera in New York.įor JoAnna LeFlore-Ejike, the Executive Director of the Malcolm X Memorial Foundation, and Leo Louis II, its board president, the synergy of this moment has been 25 years in the making. He will be the first African American to be selected for this honor. A few weeks ago, he was selected to be the newest inductee into the Nebraska Hall of Fame. The Omaha born, iconic leader, Malcolm X, is getting a lot of attention right now.
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