“The Seattle Opera has taken a step to ensure that issues of race and gender inform its programming by appointing its first Scholar-in-Residence,” writes Taylor Grant in Thursday’s (7/18) Musical America (subscription required). “Naomi André is a trained singer with a PhD in musicology from Harvard and currently a faculty member teaching Women’s Studies and Afroamerican/African Studies at the University of Michigan. She is also author of Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement, a study of how opera has shaped the racial landscape in the U.S. and South Africa. In her new role, André will, in the words of a Seattle Opera press release, ‘advise staff and leadership on matters of race and gender in opera; consult in artistic planning … and participate in company panel discussions, podcast recordings … and contribute essays to opera programs.’ … Last season, André was a featured speaker at ‘Breaking Glass: Hyperlinking Opera and Issues,’ … co-sponsored by the Seattle Opera and the Glimmerglass Festival. She also moderated the Seattle Opera’s ‘Decolonizing Allure: Women Artists of Color in Conversation,’ an April 2019 event examining themes of patriarchy and white-dominated culture in Western art and entertainment.”
Posted July 23,2019
