Opera Ebony

Opera Ebony The Official Page of Opera Ebony. America's longest running African American opera company. Benjamin Matthews, Sister Mary Elise S.B.S.

From performances of Mozart in Harlem to African-American Heritage concerts in Iceland - Gershwin in Moscow to Duke Ellington in the Caribbean, Opera Ebony is considered one of the world's great cultural treasures. and Wayne Sanders founded Opera Ebony in 1973. Since then, the company has served as a professional platform for thousands of American artists, administrators and technical staff helpin

g them to refine their talent and perfect their craft. In New York City, Opera Ebony has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (651 Performing Arts Center), The Metropolitan Museum of Art,The World Trade Center, The Beacon Theatre, Langston Hughes Theatre (Schomburg Center for Research and Black Culture) and the Manhattan Center. Additionally, for ten years the company presented grand opera at Philadelphia's Academy of Music. Since 1988, Opera Ebony's impressive repertoire has delighted overflowing audiences throughout the United States and in Brazil, Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Switzerland and Martinique. The company has also partnered with several major international orchestras, opera companies and music festivals including the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish National Opera, the Estonia Philharmonic and the Savolinna Music Festival. In 1998, Opera Ebony was selected as the only American opera company to perform for the opening of the Novaya Opera House in Moscow, Russia. During the winter of 2000, members of Opera Ebony appeared in performance and engaging conversation on the PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES series - Aida's Brothers and Sisters: Black voices in Opera. For Black History Month 2001, the company joined with the Metropolitan Museum of Art to present the premiere workshop performance of Harriet Tubman, a new opera / musical theatre work by acclaimed American composer, Leo Edwards. Notable world premieres and commissioned works include Frederick Douglass (Dorothy Rudd Moore, 1985); Sojourner Truth (Valerie Capers, 1986); The Outcast (Noah Ain, 1990); Oh Freedom (Lena McLin and Benjamin Matthews, 1990); Journin' (Benjamin Matthews 1991); The Meetin' (Pamela Baskin Watson, commissioned by Opera Ebony and the Jerome Foundation, 1998).

Michael Tilson Thomas, December 21, 1944 - April 22, 2026.
04/23/2026

Michael Tilson Thomas, December 21, 1944 - April 22, 2026.

A galvanizing force in classical music as a conductor, composer, pianist and evangelist, he spent 25 years as music director of the San Francisco Symphony.

03/31/2026

Marc A. Scorca, the President Emeritus of OPERA America, has joined the board of ‬⁩Washington National Opera.

We forgot to mention, we were at the Opera America Hall of fame Gala. Eldric Bashful
03/28/2026

We forgot to mention, we were at the Opera America Hall of fame Gala. Eldric Bashful

Our board member Dr. Louise Toppin ..
03/17/2026

Our board member Dr. Louise Toppin ..

10 years ago our founder Patrick Dailey, countertenor put something together…a one-day, one time celebration of Burleigh’s 150th at Tennessee State University. With the help of God, community, colleagues, family, friends, and partners, we now have 10 years to celebrate along with Burleigh’s 160th. This time, we’re taking the party home to Erie, PA!

We’re deeply grateful for all of the support and encouragement over the years. Who knows what the future holds but I’m excited about now! Much gratitude to our partners, Mercyhurst University , the Burleigh Legacy Alliance , and the National HBCU Choir as well as many others!

If you’re interested in supporting our efforts and the HBCU students being featured, reach out The Nashville Black Music Association to make a contribution to the Collegiate Artist Fund here.
https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/collegiate-artist-fund

03/13/2026

Cocktails and conversation with the Directors of Maryland Opera. Live performances by Soprano Jouelle Roberson and Tenor Anthony Ballard of excerpts from our sold out production of Oshun & Kandake and our upcoming production of Madama Butterfly. 🦋

Enjoy charcuterie, sip cocktails inspired by the operas and crafted by Peter Wood of , enjoy live performances and bring your questions to Discover Maryland Opera In Our Own Words. 🍸🎶🤩

📆 Sunday, March 21 | 3 pm - 5 pm
📍Roland Park Community Center
🎟️ $29/person

All details and tickets available at www.marylandopera.org.

Oshun & Kandake are presented by special arrangement with & .

03/12/2026
Opera Ebony has history. In 1986 Ms. Weathers directed our production of Madame Butterfly at Aaron Davis Hall.
02/26/2026

Opera Ebony has history. In 1986 Ms. Weathers directed our production of Madame Butterfly at Aaron Davis Hall.

As Black History month continues in America, I pay tribute to all those who have paved the way for black artists in Classical Music. ( In no particular order. )

Felicia Weathers, soprano (1937)

Felicia Weathers was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She entered Washington University in St. Louis with a medical career in mind, but after one year she transferred to Lincoln University (Missouri) to study music. In 1957, she placed second in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Weathers attended Indiana University, where she studied voice with Dorothée Manski, Charles Kullman, and Frank St. Leger. She sang in Zurich, Vienna, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Paris, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stockholm, The Royal Opera in London, La Scala in Milan and Metropolitan Opera, New York.
One of her supporters was the conductor Herbert von Karajan. Among Weathers' notable opera performances were the leading roles in Salome (R. Strauss), Aida (Verdi), Madama Butterfly (Puccini), and as Dona Anna in Don Giovanni (Mozart), Elisabeth in Don Carlos (Verdi), and many others. She is also a recitalist and concert singer.

Weathers is recipient of many international awards. For instance for her outstanding achievements in Italy, she was awarded with the Il Sagittario d'oro. From the hands of the Norwegian King Harald she received a national award for her dedicated work for Norway. She received an honorary doctorate in music from Indiana University in 1972. February 13 of every year has been made Felicia Weathers Day by the city of Indianapolis, Indiana. In Germany, she received the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. In 2011, she was recipient of the National Opera Association's "Lift Every Voice" award.

Her last performance in opera was in 1999 in Germany. Here she sang the role of Chrysothemis in Elektra (R. Strauss). Since then she sings in concerts and dedicates her professional experience in being a voice and vocal technique teacher.
Weathers directed Madama Butterfly for the Ebony National Opera in New York City and for the Heidelberg Oper in Germany. She directed Il trovatore in Philadelphia and Porgy and Bess in Rio de Janeiro.

Listen here: https://youtu.be/NhUger4BukU

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