Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
A 2021/22 Virtual Symposium Series Hosted by the University of Michigan
First Event: October 11, 4pm (registration details below)
We welcome everyone to our first event for 2021/22 on Anthony Davis’s opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (with libretto by Thulani Davis). First premiered in 1985, X is receiving a rare performance at the Michigan Opera Theatre in May 2022. Our series offers various perspectives in order to help everyone appreciate the breadth and depth of this important work. This first event features four speakers outlining and analyzing the opera’s content and contexts, as well as exploring its historical and political resonances, broader traditions of Black opera, ideas about performance practice, and providing resources to support further examination of the issues discussed. Attendees will also be treated to a performance of an aria from the opera, “Come with Me Child,” by Myah Rose Paden, a second-year Masters student in vocal performance at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, accompanied by Josh Marzan. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss ideas from the presentations.
Presenters
Naomi André: Professor in Women’s Studies, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and the Residential College Arts and Ideas in the Humanities program at the University of Michigan
Marc Hannaford: Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan
Jason Imbesi: Librarian for Music, Theatre and Dance at the University of Michigan
Louise Toppin: Professor of Music, Voice at the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at the University of Michigan
Registration
https://umich.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ydE4fCI1RPKKiMGyGOEpXg