Trilogy: An Opera Company facts for kids

Trilogy: An Opera Company (Trilogy: AOC) is a special group in Newark, New Jersey that puts on operas. This company focuses on creating beautiful operas that tell stories and share music from Black composers and artists. They want to show off great talent and support a diverse group of performers.

How Trilogy: An Opera Company Started

Trilogy: AOC started in 2004. It began when Sharpe James, who was the mayor of Newark at the time, talked with Kevin Maynor, a famous African American opera singer. They wanted to bring a special cultural gift to the people of Newark, a city that needed more arts and entertainment.

At first, it was planned as just one special opera festival. But it was so successful that people decided to keep it going! Trilogy: AOC is a non-profit organization. Their first big show was at The New Jersey Performing Arts Center on November 23, 2014.

Amazing Black Composers

Trilogy: AOC helps bring to life the musical works of many talented Black composers. Some of these composers include Scott Joplin, Michael Raphael, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Charles Lloyd Jr.

They also feature music by Adolphus Hailstork, Richard Thompson, Trevor Weston, T. J. Anderson, Anthony Davis, and Julius P. Williams. By performing their works, Trilogy: AOC shares important stories and beautiful music with everyone.

Exciting Opera Productions

Trilogy: AOC has put on many exciting operas. Some of their past shows include "Robeson" and "The Mask in the Mirror." They also performed The Ballad of James Byrd and Darfur: a Dramatic Cantata.

They also presented 4 and Nat Turner by Michael Raphael. The cast of Nat Turner included Angela Brown, a soprano singer, and Kevin Maynor, a bass singer. This show also featured a ballet group, an orchestra of African American musicians, and a large children's choir from Harlem, New York.

Many of these first-time performances were led by Julius Penson Williams, who is their main conductor and music director.

The Central Park Five Opera

In 2016, Trilogy: AOC presented a new opera called Five. It was created by Anthony Davis, with the story written by Richard Wesley. This opera was later made shorter and renamed The Central Park Five.

This shorter version premiered in 2019 at the Long Beach Opera. It was a very important work and won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2020. This award is one of the highest honors for music in the United States.

Who Supports Trilogy: AOC

Many different groups and foundations help support Trilogy: AOC. Their supporters include The Starry Night Fund, The Lambent Foundation, and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Other supporters are PNC Bank, City National Bank, Investors Bank, The Prudential Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, and The Modell Foundation. Pfizer and The Victoria Foundation also help make these amazing opera productions possible.