MasterVoices: Blind Injustice
$30-$165
- Phillip Bullock, baritone (Derrick Wheatt)
- Thomas J. Capobianco, tenor (Clarence Elkins)
- Joshua Dennis, tenor (Defense Attorney)
- Eric Shane Heatley, baritone (Rickey Jackson)
- Briana Hunter, mezzo-soprano (Derrick's Mother/Ensemble)
- Marc Kudisch, voice (Earl Mann/Ensemble)
- Reilly Nelson, soprano (Nancy Smith)
- Victoria Okafor, soprano (Alesha)
- Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone (Earl Mann's Cellmate/Edward Vernon/Ensemble)
- Christian Pursell, bass-baritone (Prosecutor)
- Orson Van Gay II, tenor (Laurese Glover)
- Miles Wilson-Toliver, bass-baritone (Eugene Johnson)
This inspiring, 90-minute opera follows the Ohio Innocence Project's efforts to overturn the convictions of six men, women, and teens who were wrongly imprisoned for violent crimes they didn't commit:
- Nancy Smith, a school bus driver convicted of molesting children at the height of the "nursery school hysteria" sweeping the nation. Imprisoned for 15 years.
- The "East Cleveland 3", teenage boys convicted of murder, identified solely by their gender and race. Imprisoned for 19 years.
- Clarence Elkins, convicted of the murder and rape of his mother-in-law and his niece, based on vague testimony by a traumatized child. Imprisoned for six years. The actual perpetrator ultimately confessed.
- Rickey Jackson, convicted of murder and robbery based on the coerced testimony of a child who, after Jackson was imprisoned for 39 years and sent to Death Row, played a key role in his release.
Featuring an operatic score infused with jazz, gospel, funk, and hip-hop, and a libretto drawn substantially from the exonerees' own words, this timely and riveting production asks "What makes a person strong enough to endure injustice? What makes a person free?"
About MasterVoices
MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale) was founded in 1941 by legendary American choral conductor Robert Shaw. Under the artistic direction of Tony Award winner Ted Sperling since 2013, the group is known for its versatility and a repertoire that ranges from choral masterpieces and operas in concert to operettas and musical theater. Season concerts feature a volunteer chorus of 100+ members from all walks of life, alongside a diverse roster of world-class soloists from across the musical spectrum, including Julia Bullock, Dove Cameron, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Renée Fleming, John Holiday, Jennifer Holliday, Norm Lewis, Victoria Clark, and Kelli O'Hara. Under Sperling's direction the group has created cross–disciplinary collaborations with such diverse creative minds as Vogue Editor-at-Large Hamish Bowles, fashion designer Zac Posen, Silk Road visual artist Kevork Mourad, illustrator Manik Choksi, stage designer Doug Fitch, and choreographers Doug Varone and Andrew Palermo. Roger Rees was the group's Artistic Associate from 2003–2015, and in 2021 the group received a New York Emmy Award nomination and a Drama League Award nomination for its multi-genre digital concert production, Myths and Hymns.
Known for its presentation of lesser-known artistic treasures such as Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, and Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans, the group has received recent accolades for productions of rarely-heard works such as the 2018-19 season's Lady in the Dark by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin, Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland, the Gershwins' Let 'Em Eat Cake, and Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents’s Anyone Can Whistle. They also commission and premiere new works; recent examples include choral works by Ricky Ian Gordon, Marisa Michelson, Tariq Al-Sabir, and Randall Eng.
As one of the country's first interracial and interfaith choruses, MasterVoices (as The Collegiate Chorale) performed at the opening of the United Nations and has sung and recorded under the batons of esteemed conductors including Serge Koussevitzky, Arturo Toscanini, and Leonard Bernstein, among others. It has been engaged by top-tier orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Israel Philharmonic, and has appeared at the Verbier and Salzburg Festivals.
About Phillip Bullock, baritone (Derrick Wheatt)
About Thomas J. Capobianco, tenor (Clarence Elkins)
Young American tenor Thomas Capobianco is quickly growing a reputation as a singer who offers tremendous artistry in difficult repertoire. Hailed as making a "vivid impression through a combination of physical energy and ringing voice." Thomas joined the Metropolitan Opera as a full time Plan Artist in the 2022/23 season and will continue as a full time Plan Artist in the 2024/25 season. Thomas made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in the 21/22 season singing the Young Servent in Elektra, conducted by Donald Runnicles, as well as the Officer in Ariadne auf Naxos.
https://www.metopera.org/discover/artists/tenor/thomas-j.-capobianco/About Joshua Dennis, tenor (Defense Attorney)
Known for his "voluptuous, elegant tone," and "robust, baritonal heft," American lyric tenor Joshua Dennis has made his mark in a variety of repertoire across the globe. Mr. Dennis, a champion of new works, has had the honor of originating many roles including Marc in the Santa Fe Opera's world premiere production of M. Butterfly, Ground Control in Washington National Opera's world premiere of Jeanine Tesori and George Brant's Grounded, and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in Minnesota Opera's world premiere The Fix, to name a few. In the 2023-24 season, Mr. Dennis sang the role of Léonard in Nadia Boulanger's world premiere orchestration of La Ville Morte, a co-production with the Greek National Opera and Catapult Opera performed in Athens, Greece and for the U.S. premiere in New York.
https://www.uiatalent.com/artists4/joshua-dennisAbout Eric Shane Heatley, baritone (Rickey Jackson)
Eric Shane Heatley is a baritone, professor, and administrator based in Cincinnati, OH. His repertoire spans contemporary American opera and works amplifying diverse voices, including performances as Jake in Porgy and Bess at both the Glimmerglass Festival and a touring production with the South Florida Symphony. He most recently created the role of Hollis in the workshop premiere of Two Corners at Cincinnati Opera. As both performer and educator, Eric continues his commitment to bringing powerful new works to the stage while shaping the next generation.
About Briana Hunter, mezzo-soprano (Derrick's Mother/Ensemble)
Briana Hunter has been hailed by Opera News as “a mesmerizing mezzo-soprano with a fiery theatrical presence and dynamic vocalism.”
Ms. Hunter is a Lotte Lenya Competition finalist and winner of the Lys Symonette Award from The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music.
Ms. Hunter holds a M.M. from Manhattan School of Music and a B.A. from Davidson College. Originally from Malvern, Pennsylvania, she currently resides in New York City.
https://www.brianaelysehunter.com/About Marc Kudisch, voice (Earl Mann/Ensemble)
About Reilly Nelson, soprano (Nancy Smith)
About Victoria Okafor, soprano (Alesha)
About Joseph Parrish, bass-baritone (Earl Mann's Cellmate/Edward Vernon/Ensemble)
Winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, Joseph Parrish is a Baltimore native and holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School. As a current artist diploma candidate in opera studies at the Juilliard School, Mr. Parrish is passionate about giving back to the various communities that have nurtured him. He is a Music Advancement Program chorus teaching fellow, Gluck Community Service Fellow, and Morse Teaching Artist. Mr. Parrish is also a member of the inaugural cohort of Shared Voices, an initiative designed to address diversity, equity, and inclusion through collaboration between Historically Black Colleges and Universities, top conservatories, and schools of music in the United States with the Denyce Graves Foundation.
https://yca.org/artist/parrish-joseph/