Interlochen Offers May 2024 World Premiere of Edmonia by Dr. Bill Banfield, Commissioned by Pulitzer & Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison

Interlochen Offers May 2024 World Premiere of Opera Edmonia by Dr. Bill Banfield, Commissioned by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison 

Interlochen Arts Academy students from across disciplines are joined by celebrated guest artists Amber Merritt, Sydney James Harcourt, and Patrice Rushen for the May 3-5 world premiere performances.

(Interlochen, MI - April 17, 2024)  On May 3, 4, and 5 2024, Interlochen Center for the Arts will present the world premiere of the opera Edmonia, based on the life and artistry of 19th-century African American and indigenous (Ojibwe) sculptor Edmonia Lewis. The opera was created by award-winning composer and author Dr. Bill Banfield, and originally commissioned in 2000 by Pulitzer and Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, with collaboration from poet Yusef Komunyakaa.

The production brings together a cast of Interlochen Arts Academy students from multiple disciplines, alongside guest artists including Amber Merritt, an award-winning opera and R&B singer, and Sydney James Harcourt, a Grammy-winning film, television, and Broadway actor. The performance fuses classical and operatic music with contemporary and jazz components. A modern set design complements the use of period costuming. 

Banfield’s opera dramatizes the astounding highs and lows of Lewis’s life and career, tracing her story from Oberlin College, where she was accused of attempted murder by poisoning, to her friendship with Frederick Douglass and her daring world travels as a young woman in the late 1800s. Lewis’s art boldly challenged the racial barriers and gender expectations of her time. The opera elevates Lewis from historical obscurity to a symbol of enduring resilience.

“Edmonia is a powerful work that opens viewers’ eyes to a forgotten historical figure who had a profound impact on her own time and beyond,” said Trey Devey, President at Interlochen Center for the Arts. “It is our joy and privilege to share Dr. Banfield’s groundbreaking opera with the world. These world premiere performances on our campus mark the culmination of a three-year multi-disciplinary exploration of the history, culture, and artistry of the African diaspora; a project we believe has had an immense impact for our students.” 

“Edmonia Lewis’s artistic legacy, expressed beautifully in such landmark sculptures as ‘Forever Free’ and ‘Death of Cleopatra’, is a vibrant testament to her skill,” said Dr. Bill Banfield. “We must also realize the depth of courage it took for her to create what she did while living in the time in which she did. This production of Edmonia memorializes her boldness and innovation on the stage for the first time.” 

Interlochen Arts Academy is the nation's premier boarding arts high school, where emerging artists transform passion and potential into purpose. Students pursue pre-professional training in music, dance, theatre, visual arts, creative writing, and film alongside a robust academic curriculum, preparing them to excel in the arts and beyond.

Interlochen Arts Academy's 2024 production of Edmonia is the culmination of a three-year interdisciplinary exploration of the music and art of the African diaspora. This unique curriculum has encouraged students to study the history, culture, and artistry of music and art of the African diaspora, illuminating how related traditions, techniques, and trailblazers contribute to arts and culture.

Also under development is a three-year film project with Greenacres Foundation, exploring the impact of regenerative agriculture. Interlochen’s film & new media students are producing the full length documentary. 

Edmonia
By Bill Banfield
Directed by Laura Osgood Brown and Justin Lee Miller
Orchestra Conducted by Julius Williams
Choreography by Rachel James and the Dancers
Set and Projection Design by Stephanie Baugher
Costume Design by Caitlin Eldred
Sound Design by Robert Cracknell
Lighting Design by Clyde Sheets

 CAST (in order of appearance)

 Museum Curator/John Mercer Langston/Head Priest ... Sydney James Harcourt*

Dance Edmonia ............................................. Jayla Stafford, Detroit, Mich.

Young Edmonia Lewis ......................................... Imani Makasa, Dulles, Va.

Edmonia Lewis ................................................................ Amber Merritt*

Rev. John Keeps/Ensemble .............................. Quin Welch, Northville, Mich.

Mrs. Keeps/Ensemble....................... Elizabeth Palumbo, East Brunswick, N.J.

Christina Ennes/Ensemble ......................... Remington Collins, Rock Falls, Ill.

Maria Miles/Ensemble .............................. Madeline Ayala, Fort Worth, Texas

Suzie Weiss/Ensemble .................................... Audrey Leiser, Durham, N.C.

Judge/Ensemble .............................. Archie Darlington, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Marianne Dascomb/Ensemble ..................... Sydney Rosplock, Nashotah, Wis.

Clara Steele Norton ....................................... Remi Baker, Greensboro, Ga.

Sunrise/Mr. John Jones/Ensemble .................... Isaiah Flowers, Louisville, Ky.

Edward A. Brackett/Ensemble .................... Briggs Williamson, Delaplane, Va.

Anne Whitney/Ensemble.................................. City Morrison, Wellsville, N.Y.

Adeline Manning/Ensemble ...............................  Grace Coon, Madison, Miss.

Lydia Maria Child .......................................... Jillian Cole, Carbondale, Colo.

Harriet Hosmer/Ensemble ................................... Leila Topi, Wayland, Mass.

Charlotte Cushman/Ensemble .........  Ayla Rose Donohue-Özyar, Bethesda, Md.

Emma Stebbens/Ensemble .... Alejandra Gaspar-Hulbert, Santa Ana, Costa Rica

Vinnie Ream/Ensemble................................. Joanna Wilson, Houston, Texas

Maria Louisa Lander/Ensemble ........................  Joan Lee, Seoul, South Korea

Margaret Foley/Ensemble .............................. Kaila Zeh-Gatti, Montauk, N.Y.

Florence Freeman/Ensemble ........................... Bridget Shene, Clermont, Fla.

Luigi/Ensemble .............................................. MJ Brendel, Richland, Wash.

Marco/Ensemble ................................  Martin Florez-Saavedra, Weston, Fla.

Giuseppe................................................... Keller Gilliland, Telluride, Colo.

Mr. Sewall/Ensemble .................................... Evan Sercombe, Madison, Wis.

Boston Office Workers/Ensemble....................... Cates Asleson, Granger, Ind.

Luca Isom, Edwards, Colo.

Joan Lee, Seoul, South Korea

Hanna Maes, Panama City Beach, Fla.

Ravi Mampara, Washington, D.C.

Violet Purcell, Traverse City, Mich.

Griffin Reese, New York, N.Y.

Jimmy Teti, Princeton, N.J.

Troy Burnett**

The Head Nun/Ensemble ........................... Drucilla Dumas, New Orleans, La.

Mrs. Mary Jones .................................... Zara Wilson, Nassau, The Bahamas

Frederick Douglass ........................... Christian Trimmingham, Richmond, Va.

Mrs. Helen Douglass/Ensemble ....................... Opal Reese, Highland Park, Ill.

Ensemble............................................... Gus Baldyga, Traverse City, Mich.

Edward Burden, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Gus Bye, Traverse City, Mich.

Sabina Camblor, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Jaden Chimelis, East Setauket, N.Y.

Sara Corwin, Glenwood Springs, Colo.

Evieanna Fall, Big Rapids, Mich.

Elijah Ilkay, Forest Hills, N.Y.

Yoyo Jiang, Shenzhen, China

Lauren Krings, Paris, France

Suzie Littleton, Towson, Md.

Lilac Lopez, Broomfield, Colo.

Sufia Rahman, Houston, Texas

Porter Stevenson, Traverse City, Mich.

Belle Thommen, Traverse City, Mich.

Dance Ensemble............................................. Rowan Barber, Hanover, Pa.

Julia Birkenstein, Glencoe, Ill.

Owen Boone, Cincinnati, Ohio

Lilly Coate, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Aimee Craig, Mill Bay, British Columbia, Canada

Leah Hager, Trabuco Canyon, Calif.

Jesse Harrington, King Ferry, N.Y.

Anne Maust, Dexter, Mich.

Jayla Stafford, Detroit, Mich.

Anna Vaughn, Evergreen, Colo.

Supernumeraries.................................... Tristan Lysonge, Pewee Valley, Ky.

Nalini Charles-Belizaire, Newark, Del.

* Denotes Guest Artist
** Denotes ICA staff

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Edmonia Lewis—African American and Native American (Ojibwa) sculptor.

Rev. John Keeps—Runs a boarding house where Edmonia resides.

Mrs. Keeps—Wife of Rev. Keeps.

Christina Ennes—Boarder at the house of Rev. Keeps, accuser of Edmonia.

Maria Miles—Boarder at the house of Rev. Keeps, accuser of Edmonia.

Suzie Weiss—Boarder at the house of Rev. Keeps.

Marianne Dascomb—A school administrator at Oberlin.

Clara Steele Norton—Edmonia’s best friend at Oberlin.

Sunrise—Edmonia’s brother.

Edward A. Brackett—Boston sculptor.

Anne Whitney—Edmonia’s friend in Boston and Rome, a poet and sculptor.

Adeline Manning—Painter and partner of Anne Whitney, Edmonia’s neighbor in Rome.

Lydia Maria Child—Edmonia’s on/off supporter.

Harriet Hosmer—American sculptor who moved to Italy.

Charlotte Cushman—American expat actress and Italian socialite.

Emma Stebbens—Partner of Cushman, sculptor.

Vinnie Ream—Sculptor, part of the Cushman Salon.

Maria Louisa Lander—Sculptor, part of the Cushman Salon.

Margaret Foley—Sculptor, part of the Cushman Salon.

Florence Freeman—Sculptor, part of the Cushman Salon.

Giuseppe—Edmonia’s Italian studio assistant.

Mr. Sewall—A businessman.

Mr. John Jones—A Chicago community leader.

Mrs. Mary Jones—Wife of John Jones.

Frederick Douglass—Orator, abolitionist, and friend of Edmonia.

Mrs. Helen Douglass—Second wife of Frederick Douglass.

The Ensemble—includes the Oberlin jury, the girls in the Keeps’ house, Oberlin college students, faculty, and staff, Boston townspeople, priests and nuns of Rome, African American community in Chicago.

Please note: cast list may change.

Interlochen Center for the Arts
The nonprofit Interlochen Center for the Arts is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts and the only organization in the world that brings together a 3,000-student summer camp program; a 550 -student fine arts boarding high school; a year-round source of expert online arts education for children, teens, and adults; opportunities for adults to engage in fulfilling artistic and creative programs; two 24-hour listener-supported public radio services (classical music and news); more than 600 arts presentations annually by students, faculty and world-renowned guest artists; a robust hospitality division that curates on-campus lodging, dining, and transportation services; and a global alumni base spanning nine decades, including leaders in the arts and all other endeavors. For information, visit Interlochen online at www.interlochen.org.

The world premiere of Edmonia is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Interlochen Media Contact:  Maureen Oleson, maureen.oleson@interlochen.org, 231.645.5518, www.interlochen.org
National/International Contact: Nikki Scandalios, nikki@scandaliospr.com, 704.340.4094