Edmond Dédé, a free person of color was born in New Orleans in 1827. A gifted violinist, conductor and composer, he fled to France during the Civil War. In 1887, he composed an epic, four-act grand opera, which was never staged in his lifetime, and languished in complete obscurity for more than a century.
The Opera is called Morgiane and the two artists responsible for bringing Edmond Dédé’s masterpiece back to life is Givonna Joseph, the Founder and Director of Opera Creole and Patrick Dupre Quigley, the Artistic Director Designate of Opera Lafayette. The two opera companies partnered on this project.
Morgiane will be performed tonight at 7:00 at the Clarice Arts Center on the campus of the University of Maryland. The concert is sold-out, but you can live-stream the show.
