I love George Gershwin and Margaret Bonds. These two  American composers wrote in popular and classical musical idioms ranging from operas to concertos, theater pieces, solo instrumental music to symphonic works, and song literature. It is no secret that Gershwin was inspired by Black artists and the art of B/black people. His opera, “Porgy and Bess” is maybe the most explicit example of this. While I’ve never sensed that Gershwin intended to exploit the art of Black American people — in fact, when considering the opera, “Porgy and Bess,” I believe his intention was to give distinctive voice to each......

On May 5 our production of Olivier Messiaen’s HARAWI with American Modern Opera Company will make its debut at De Singel International Arts Centre in Antwerp, Belgium. Harawi explores dichotomies: life and death, pain and joy, spirituality and sensuality, sacrifice and preservation, fulfillment and loss. Messiaen seems to be asking from a place of personal grief: how do you stay connected to someone you loved while the accumulated memories of your relationship begin to fade or drift? How do you recover and move on? HARAWI then heads to Erholungshaus in Leverkusen, Germany on May 7. Our short tour of Olivier Messiaen’s......

Photo representations of the realities I live off and onstage is apparently striking chords for some, so I wanted to post my recent chest-feeding & semi-nude performance shots side-by-side for perpetuity here, and explain why:  Exposing my breasts onstage during “Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine” is not arbitrary. An aspect of Joséphine Baker that remains powerful for me was her exploration of liberation in every respect; and exposing her naked body was one tool she used to do so. Of course, because of the culture she traversed—much centered in patriarchy and misogyny— exploitation and objectification were unavoidable. We may never......