Community Events - Michigan Opera Theatre

Community Events

Typically one-hour performances (historical tidbits mixed in!) followed by a gathering with light refreshments. For more information, contact Arthur White, Director of External Affairs, at awhite@motopera.org.

Tue, February 25 at 6:00 PM

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

315 E Warren Ave

Panel Discussion

Dance Theatre of Harlem at 50:
Past, Present, and Future of Equality in Dance

Join Michigan Opera Theatre and Dance Theatre of Harlem in honor of DTH founder Arthur Mitchell’s vision, impact, and legacy as the company celebrates their 50th anniversary. Former dancer and current professor at Wayne State University Dr. Jennifer Gomez will reflect on the company’s groundbreaking history, including their historic visit to apartheid-era South Africa, and will be joined by the all-female creative team of Passage, the company’s newest ballet. Created in recognition of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of enslaved Africans to Virginia in 1619, Passage offers a moving reflection on the fortitude of the human spirit and is a testament to Dance Theatre of Harlem’s powerful vision for ballet in the 21st century.

Free with RSVP to ascobie@motopera.org

Wed, February 26 at 7:00 PM

Rosedale Park Community House

18445 Scarsdale St, Detroit

In Conversation

Terence Blanchard with Mark Stryker

Conversation at the North Rosedale Park Community House between Terence Blanchard and Mark Stryker, music and arts critic for the Free Press for more than two decades, and author of Jazz from Detroit. With musical preview from Champion.

Free event.

Champion is presented by

This event is supported by an award from

Fri, February 28 at 7:00 PM

Affirmations

290 W Nine Mile Rd, Ferndale

Emile Griffith: The Challenge of a Champion

Performance and lecture on LGBTQ themes in Champion and queer culture in the 1950s and 1960s at Affirmations, unpacking Griffith’s late-in-life statement: “I kill a man and the world forgives me; I love a man and the world hates me.”

Champion is presented by

Fri, March 6, 7:30 PM

Border City Boxing Club

1072 Drouillard Rd, Windsor

Opera at the Boxing Club

What better place to learn about Champion (Terence Blanchard's new opera in jazz) than a boxing club? Concert master Eliot Heaton and violinist Henrik Karapetyan will join the MOT Studio Artists in the ring.

Border City Boxing Club
Friday, March 6 at 7:30 PM

Cover fee $10 (Students Free)

RSVP (required)
eventbrite or call (519) 252-0212

Champion is presented by

Thu, March 19 at 7:30 PM

Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History

315 E Warren Ave

In conversation

Terence Blanchard with Naomi André

Discussion with Terence Blanchard at the Charles Wright Museum of African American History, focused on the African American experience in opera, moderated by Professor Naomi André, author of Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement. With a musical preview of Champion.

Champion is presented by

This event is supported by an award from

Learn about opera from those who love it! Attending a performance by Michigan Opera Theatre can be a transformative experience, and whetting your appetite at a community event (for example Overture to Opera) is a sure way to make your experience unforgettable. These events are typically one-hour performances followed by a gathering with light refreshments. Programs showcase the operas seen onstage that season at MOT, provide guests with history on the operas and productions, and are a way for opera enthusiasts old and new to meet and talk about opera. It's all part of MOT’s cultural service to our community, and an integral part of our mission to increase the impact and sustainability of opera in Michigan.

Community events are supported by an award from:

This project is funded in part by Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.