(c) Opéra National de Paris Black Pearl: meditations for Josephine: Opéra National de Paris
Paris, Palais Garnier
About the Event
Singer, dancer and actress Josephine Baker, the beloved artist of Paris during the Roaring Twenties, was far more than that. There was also her love for France, where, as a Black woman, she found a form of liberation, her involvement in the Resistance and her fight for civil rights.
On the 120th anniversary of her birth, the Paris Opera opens its season by paying tribute to her with a production directed by Peter Sellars.
Black Pearl reveals the inner world hidden behind the radiant smile of Josephine Baker, who entered the Pantheon in 2021. The jazzy score by Tyshawn Sorey, who conducts the musicians of the International Contemporary Ensemble on stage, highlights the exemplary and inspiring struggle of this artist who embraced stereotypes all the better to challenge them and ultimately find freedom within an imposed identity.
Cast / Production
Tyshawn Sorey
Music and conductor (1980)
Claudia Rankine
Libretto and dramaturgy
Peter Sellars
Director
Carlos Soto
Costume design
James F. Ingalls
Lighting design
Marc Urselli
Sound design
Michael Schumacher
Movement director
Cast
Julia Bullock
Joséphine Baker
Tyshawn Sorey
Piano and percussion
Daniel Lippel
Electric guitar
Alice Teyssier
Flute
Jennifer Curtis
Violin
Rebekah Heller
Bassoon
Travis Laplante
Saxophone
International Contemporary Ensemble
Production created at the Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam
Address
Palais Garnier, 8, rue du Scribe, Paris, France — Google Maps
