Approaching Ali
| Approaching Ali | |
|---|---|
| Opera by D. J. Sparr | |
| Librettist | Mark Campbell and Davis Miller |
| Based on | The Tao of Muhammad Ali by Davis Miller |
| Premiere | June 8, 2013 Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. |
Approaching Ali is an opera by composer D. J. Sparr and librettists Mark Campbell and Davis Miller. The inspiration for the opera comes from Miller's story "My Dinner With Ali" and his book The Tao of Muhammad Ali that related the friendship of the writer with the boxer Mohammad Ali.[1][2]
Approaching Ali: A Chamber Opera in One Act had its world premiere at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2013, under the directorship of Nicole A. Watson. The opera was commissioned by Washington National Opera.[3] In 2015, the opera was staged by North Carolina Opera.[4]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, June 8, 2013 (Conductor: Steven Jarvi) |
|---|---|---|
| Davis Miller | baritone | David Kravitz |
| Muhammad Ali | bass | Soloman Howard |
| Odessa Clay | soprano | Aundi Moore |
| Young Davis | boy soprano | Ethan McKelvain |
| Roy Miller | tenor | Tim Augustin |
| Sara Miller | mezzo-soprano | Catherine Martin |
Synopsis
The story is about a boy in North Carolina in the early 1960s who is galvanized to overcome some traumatic childhood events when he sees Muhammad Ali on television. More than twenty years later, as a writer on the brink of middle age, he now seeks to rekindle that spirit by visiting his boyhood hero in person at his mother's home in Louisville, Kentucky.
References
- ^ Schweitzer, Vivien (June 10, 2013). "New Ring For Legend Of Boxing: Opera Stage". The New York Times.
- ^ Neal, Dale (November 27, 2015). "Asheville man writes of relationship with Ali". The Citizen Times.
- ^ Anne Midgette (June 7, 2013). "Approaching Ali, the second stage of WNO's effort to foster new American opera". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ Vitiello, Chris (January 28, 2015). "With Approaching Ali, the story of how the boxer inspired a struggling writer, the North Carolina Opera fights above its weight class". The Independent Weekly.
External links
- Approaching Ali, djsparr.com
 | This article about an opera or opera-related subject is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
