Caster and Patience the Opera
July 9 - July 18
Price varies
Caster and Patience the Opera
Cincinnati Opera proudly presents the world premiere of Castor and Patience. The music is by Gregory Spears, composer of the companyâs acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and an original libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner and former U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith, the story is centered on two cousins from an African American family who find themselves at odds over the fate of a historic parcel of land they have inherited in the American South. Deeply relevant to ongoing calls for racial justice, Castor and Patience probes historical and continuing obstacles to Black land ownership in the United States.
This highly anticipated world premiere is the talk of the opera world. Cincinnati Opera Castor and Patience tells a story that is both timeless and topical, addressing Americaâs warring tensions between reckoning with the hard facts of history and racing blindly forward toward the dream of progress. Castor and Patience features powerful, soaring new music by Gregory Spears, composer of our acclaimed 2016 commission Fellow Travelers, and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning recent U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith.
Kazem Abdullah conducts, and Kevin Newbury (Fellow Travelers) directs. The design team of Caster and Patience the Opera features Vita Tzykun (scenic design), Jessica Jahn (costume design), Rachel Eliza Griffiths (image design), S. Katy Tucker (projection design), Thomas C. Hase (lighting design), and James Geier (wig and make-up design).
Cincinnati Opera Castor and Patience Time and Dates:
Friday, July 9, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 15, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 17, 2021 | 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 18, 2021 | 3:00 p.m.
Plans for the Cincinnati Opera 2021 Summer Festival include three operas that were originally scheduled to be presented in 2020âthe world premieres of Castor and Patience and Fierce, as well as The Barber of Sevilleâplus the return of two all-time favorite operas, Carmen and Tosca. Performances are currently slated to take place at Music Hall and the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), and to feature the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO).
Cincinnati Operaâs mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences.
For more information, ticket information, and program updates, visit cincinnatiopera.org.
Check out our article Learn the Value of Our History at These African American Museums.
