A Letter to the Black People in Opera
Dear Black People in Opera,
We, the Black Administrators of Opera, see you. We appreciate you. We celebrate you.
To the composer and librettist
To the administrator and manager
To the artist and creative
To the director and crew member
To the leader and advisor
To the board member and supporter
To the usher, custodian, and security guard
To the audience member
To the community member
To the historian, scholar, and musicologist
To the student, educator, coach, and mentor
To the culture bearer and truth-speaker
To the disruptor and healer
To the first and sometimes only
To the ancestors, elders, and those to come,
We thank you.
Thank you for carving and traversing the path for all of us to continue moving forward in this art form. Thank you for bringing opera to this nation and contributing to its growth over the centuries. Thank you for the long nights, beautiful moments, tears, laughter, collaboration, skill, inspiration, and dedication that continues to sound true throughout opera.
This field is not always affirming, and there are many reasons to turn away. Yet you prevail. We know the added weight of unfair expectations and exceptional achievements too often dismissed. We know what it means to show up and be a part of opera — and to shape opera to reflect the many beautiful experiences of our humanity. We know what it means to love this art form.
We are grateful for the ways you continue to show up and show out. Seeing you onstage, backstage, in the offices, in the audience, and in the community as creators, leaders, and supporters fills us with pride and joy.
For doing the extraordinary, we see you. We celebrate you.
For being in the space and shaping future spaces, we thank you.
This is our love letter to you. Because of you, we know the sounds and stories of our truth have always had a place in this art form. Unapologetically, we take our place in opera.
Happy Black History Month,
Black Administrators of Opera
With gratitude, we share I, Too, Sing Opera: An Afrocentric History of Opera by Candace Burgess, PhD candidate in Musicology, University of Pittsburgh.
