Image Description: A photo of Neema Bickerseth as Treemonisha, overtop a colourful background with circular shapes and lines.
Photo of Neema Bickersteth as Treemonisha by Dahlia Katz. Artwork by Lost in the Island.
Originally written by Scott Joplin (c. 1911), Treemonisha is one of the few pieces set soon after the abolition of slavery, written by a survivor of that era. Fusing European classical music with the sounds of ragtime, folk, and gospel to create a thrilling and distinct sound, and introducing a young woman protagonist chosen by her community to lead, Joplin’s nearly-lost opera was far ahead of its time.
Working from the surviving vocal score and featuring the first all-Black orchestral ensemble in Canadian opera history, the new arrangements and orchestrations by Jessie Montgomery (Sphinx Medal of Excellence and ASCAP Leonard Bernstein award winner) and Jannina Norpoth (Grammy nominee) merge musical vocabularies, reflecting the major themes of the reimagined version: split identity – African and American – and the role of one’s ancestors in coming to terms with the realities of a new land.
Led by a predominantly Black female creative team from across North America, Joplin’s ground-breaking opera has been reimagined with a new story and libretto by playwright and broadcaster Leah-Simone Bowen (The Secret Life of Canada), working with Emmy-nominated co-librettist Cheryl L. Davis. Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha is conducted by the first Black woman conductor in Canadian opera history, Panamanian-American Kalena Bovell, and directed by award-winning, internationally acclaimed Canadian stage director Weyni Mengesha.
This reimagined version tells a revolutionary story of a young Black woman who, in discovering the truth of her past, and overcoming enormous personal loss, discovers her power to unify a divided people, and lead her community towards a new future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XQE0d1zy2A
Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha - Venue Guide
How to Experience Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha
Content Information: Plot details will be revealed. (Spoiler alert!)
Treemonisha has been co-commissioned by Apollo Theater (Harlem); BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music); the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity; Luminato Festival Toronto; Minnesota Opera; National Arts Centre, Ottawa, through the National Creation Fund; Southbank Centre, London; Stanford Live with the assistance of the Hewlett Foundation; TO Live; and Washington Performing Arts.