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Forgotten for 138 years, a Black composer's magnum opus finds a stage

Tenor Chauncey Packer, left, and soprano Taylor J. White, white, rehearse Edmond Dédé's opera Morgiane at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Jan. 24, 2025, along with members of Opera Lafayette, OperaCréole and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. (Photo: Camille Farrah Lenain for NPR)
Tenor Chauncey Packer, left, and soprano Taylor J. White, white, rehearse Edmond Dédé's opera Morgiane at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans on Jan. 24, 2025, along with members of Opera Lafayette, OperaCréole and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. (Photo: Camille Farrah Lenain for NPR)

"Morgiane," perhaps the oldest opera by a Black American, finally receives its full public performance, shedding light on the forgotten heyday of opera in New Orleans.
Copyright 2025 NPR

Matt Bloom