New York Metropolitan Opera’s First Black Composer Coming to Dallas

NBC 5 celebrates Black History Month with six-time Grammy Award-winning composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

Blanchard, who was also a two-time Oscar nominee, became the first black composer to have a work performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera in the company’s 138-year history during the 2021-2022 season. This opera “Fire in My Bones” premiered in 2019 in St. Louis.

“I can be first, but I can’t be last,” Blanchard told NBC 5 ahead of his performance with the Dallas Symphony. “It should be turnkey, not a token that opens doors for others.”

Even before his composition made history, Blanchard was famous for his work with artists such as Mariah Carey, Viola Davis’ The Queen, the recent Father of the Bride remake, and a number of films with Spike Lee. in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Blanchard attributed much of his success to what happened to him when he was young.

“It makes me feel like I have been blessed to have wonderful teachers. I have had many people of color in my life who have guided me and they deserve a lot of credit because they are the ones who opened my eyes and made me believe that I can do these things. I always tell people. The art world and the social work that comes with it can be a thankless job because you don’t have people who always say thank you for it, but they need to know these programs. mean a lot to a lot of people. If not for these programs, I would not be here. It’s so easy,” Blanchard said.

That’s the main reason Blanchard said he’s excited about his visit to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for their upcoming series of performances. He said their 30 years of continuous work in communities of color proves that investing in youth music programs is an investment in the future.

Someone who has carried on that legacy is DSO CEO Kim Noltemi.

“This is more than we offer lessons,” Noltemi said. “We offer a life-changing experience and we believe that makes a difference and it seems like all the families involved feel the same way when they participate.”

She devoted much of her work to these efforts. Not only with the Young Strings program, but also with the program named after her by her colleagues. The Kim Noltemi Young Musician Program is designed to actively enrich underrepresented communities through an after-school orchestral program, all for free.

“Kids perform at this venue a couple of times a year, which is pretty surprising since not many kids perform on the Meyerson stage,” Noltemi said.

For Noltemy, diversity, fairness and inclusiveness is more than a name, but rather making DEI a symphonic part of their DNA. Blanchard said it was a worthwhile investment.

“Here’s the thing, when I got on these programs, I ran into people like me. I ran into people of color who wanted to do something different from what was going on in their area. Thanks to these programs, I didn’t feel lonely,” Blanchard said.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, as part of its Fermata Speaker Series, is hosting a Fireside Chat with Terence Blanchard on February 9 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm at the Meyerson Symphony Center located at 2301 Flora Street in Dallas. The conversation will be moderated by Laura Harris of NBC 5. The event is free to the public with RSVP.

He will also play a gig with his band at the Meyerson after a fireside chat. Tickets are already available.

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texasstandard.news contributed to this report.

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