{"id":5179,"date":"2026-04-28T13:06:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T13:06:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/?p=5179"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:11:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:11:24","slug":"jubilee-opera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/2026\/04\/28\/jubilee-opera\/","title":{"rendered":"Jubilee Opera"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Margaret Walker Center is extremely proud to be part of this reimagining of our founder’s classic novel. Please check this page periodically for updates, exciting news, event information, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have specific questions about the opera project, reach out to us at mwa@jsums.edu<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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About<\/span><\/h3>\n

Jackson State University and Yale University have entered into a collaborative agreement to develop the folk opera Jubilee<\/em> as part of the Yale Alliance for Scholarship, Collaboration, Engagement, Networking and Development (ASCEND) Initiative. The story of Margaret Walker’s real-life grandmother and great-grandmother as they lived from slavery to freedom, Jubilee<\/em> launched the genre of neo-slave narratives when it was published in 1966. With the support of the ASCEND Initiative ($125,000), two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts ($45,000), and a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ($100,000), faculty and students in music at Yale and Jackson State will rehearse and perform a concert production in New Haven and Jackson during the summer of 2026, marking the 60th anniversary of Jubilee<\/em>. Dr. Albert Lee, Associate Professor in the Yale School of Music, and Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale, Associate Professor of Music at Jackson State, will be the lead faculty. The Folk Opera is the work of composer and pianist Randy Klein and librettist and playwright Joan Ross Sorkin, both of whom will coordinate the production through the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State. Internationally acclaimed conductor and composer Julius P. Williams will lead the symphonic interpretation of the music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Work on the opera also coincides with the inaugural HBCU Opera and Musical Theater Summer Festival, a week-long festival at Jackson State featuring student participants from a variety of colleges and universities. The students will receive workshops and coaching from professionals in the opera industry, and they will work closely with Klein and Sorkin in advance of the debut of Jubilee: A Folk Opera<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ultimate goal for\u00a0Jubilee: A Folk Opera<\/em> is to expand it into a full-scale, finished production to be performed nationwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

To read Jackson State’s Press Release about the project,<\/span> visit the JSU Newsroom<\/strong><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Events<\/span><\/h3>\n
Concert Reading at Yale University, May 28, 2026, 7:30 p.m.<\/span><\/h5>\n

A work-in-progress concert reading of\u00a0Jubilee: A Folk Opera<\/em> will be presented on May 28 at 7:30 p.m. at the Dome in the Yale Schwarzman Center, 168 Grove Street New Haven, CT 06511. The event is free and open to the public with registration. Yale advance registration opens Friday, May 8, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Public registration opens Friday, May 8, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Please note that seating is limited and registration to the Yale Innovation Summit does not grant access to the performance.<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more information and register, visit the event listing on the<\/span> Yale Innovation Summit website<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The concert reading on May 28 will be part of the Arts Track at the Yale Innovation Summit, taking place at the university from May 27-28, 2026. Hosted by Yale Ventures, the summit offers over 60 sessions across disciplines including the arts, biotech, civic, climate, health, and tech. To learn more about the summit, visit their website<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional information about the Arts Track and the performance of Jubilee: A Folk Opera\u00a0<\/em>can be found on the<\/span> Arts Track webpage<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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OPERA\/SOUTH Inaugural HBCU Opera & Musical Theater Summer Festival, June 7-14, 2026<\/span><\/h5>\n

Revitalizing JSU’s once highly active OPERA\/SOUTH Company, the festival seeks to foster access, visibility, and resources for students at Jackson State and other HBCUs in the realm of performing arts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schedule<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Alumni Night Concert:<\/strong> Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Student Showcase Concert:<\/strong> Friday, June 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jubilee: A Folk Opera<\/em> Concert Reading:<\/strong> Sunday, June 14, at 4:00 p.m.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Contributions to the festival’s fundraising goal of $30,000 support including scholarships, masterclasses, workshop readings of new works, and live performance experiences. Fundraising also helps build the long-term infrastructure needed to ensure the program continues to exist and grow.<\/span><\/p>\n

To donate to the festival, visit the<\/span> GiveSmart donation portal<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Concert Reading at Jackson State University, June 14, 2026, 4:00 p.m.<\/span><\/h5>\n

Join us in the JSU Music Department’s F.D. Hall Music Center for a free, premiere concert reading of the Jubilee<\/em> opera. The performance is part of the HBCU Opera and Musical Theater Summer Festival hosted by OPERA\/SOUTH.<\/span><\/p>\n

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OPERA\/SOUTH<\/span><\/h3>\n

In 1971, the OPERA\/SOUTH Company was founded as a groundbreaking intercollegiate opera initiative involving Jackson State College (today Jackson State University), Tougaloo College, and Utica Junior College (today Hinds Community College \u2013 Utica). Established through the Mississippi Intercollegiate Opera Guild under the leadership of Sister Mary Elise Sisson and other visionary educators, OPERA\/SOUTH became one of the nation\u2019s most significant Black opera companies and a pioneering force for African American artists in classical music and opera.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company gained national recognition for presenting culturally relevant productions, commissioning and premiering works by Black composers, and creating professional opportunities for Black singers, musicians, dancers, and technicians during a period when access to major opera stages remained limited. Over several decades, OPERA\/SOUTH established Jackson as a center for African American operatic artistry. Founding supporters included prominent figures such as Sidney Poitier, Ossie Davis, and Margaret Walker.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2006, OPERA\/SOUTH was revived at Jackson State, preserving the company\u2019s educational and performance mission. Under the leadership of Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale, the modern OPERA\/SOUTH revitalization initiative seeks to restore the organization as a nationally recognized HBCU-centered hub for opera, musical theater, cultural preservation, community engagement, and professional artist training.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through local and national collaborations, the HBCU Opera & Musical Theater Summer Festival was created to support the mission of OPERA\/SOUTH to cultivate artistic excellence, preserve cultural legacy, and build a nationally recognized HBCU-centered ecosystem for classical vocal and theatrical training. The week-long summer festival combines masterclasses, coaching, performances, career-building workshops, recitals, chamber orchestra collaborations, and the development of new works, including the concert reading of Jubilee: A Folk Opera<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our Partners<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\"Headshot<\/a>
Randy Klein<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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\"Headshot<\/a>
Dr. Albert Lee<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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\"Headshot<\/a>
Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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\"Closeup<\/a>
Joan Ross Sorkin<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
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\"Closeup<\/a>
Julius P. Williams<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/td>\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\"Text<\/a><\/td>\n\"Text<\/a><\/td>\n\"Logo.<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Margaret Walker Center is extremely proud to be part of this reimagining of our founder’s classic novel. Please check this page periodically for updates, exciting news, event information, and more. If you have specific questions about the opera project, reach out to us at mwa@jsums.edu.   About Jackson State University and Yale University have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":5405,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[26,4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5179"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5407,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5179\/revisions\/5407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jsums.edu\/margaretwalkercenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}