Baritone/Composer Will Liverman and Producer/Artist DJ King Rico Announce the World Premiere of Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
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Baritone/Composer Will Liverman and Producer/Artist DJ King Rico Announce the World Premiere of Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge,

 Written for The Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA)

 

May 1 and 2, 2026 at Wells Theater | Norfolk, VA

 

The Two GSA Alumni Expand Their Sold-Out, Critically Acclaimed Soul Opera to

Embrace a Broader Range of Gender Expressions and Vocal Skill Levels

 

Including an In-Person Residency for GSA Students with Liverman and Rico

 

 

“Like Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Factotum offers

a vital look at everyday African American lives.” – Third Coast Review

 

“The language and the music, and for that matter the infectious dancing that continuously animates the narrative, bespeak a Black American verismo.” – Classical Voice North America

 

“It’s a ‘soul opera’ and as a whole, it is fun, thought-provoking, and undeniably Black… This is intersectionality and creativity at a very high level… Liverman and Rico give us a story that is relatable and, more importantly, accessible.” – Chicago Reader

 

“It feels fresh and, at its best, the score is terrific.” – The Chicago Tribune

 

www.gsarts.org/factotum

 

Norfolk, VA (March 10, 2026) – GRAMMY® Award-winning baritone Will Liverman and award-winning producer, DJ, and multi-genre artist DJ King Rico – both alumni of The Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) – present a brand new version of their sold out, critically-acclaimed soul opera The Factotum, specially reworked for the students of GSA, on May 1 and 2, 2026 at Wells Theater in Norfolk, VA. Titled Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge, the duo has updated its vibrant, genre-blending soul opera inspired by Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, setting the classic comedy inside a contemporary Black barbershop and beauty salon, blending opera, hip-hop, gospel, funk, neo-soul, and R&B into a bold new theatrical experience. Liverman and Rico co-created the original The Factotum – praised as “mic-drop fabulous good” (Opera News) – which premiered in a sold-out production at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2023. The Chicago Tribune said of The Factotum: "Liverman actually has composed, and done so beautifully, an opera about the history, the struggles and the loving determination of an entire community,” and the Chicago Sun Times called it “vibrant” and “heartwarming.”

 

Reimagined specifically for GSA students after the premier staging three years ago, this unique adaptation places young artists at the center of a professional creative process. The new production also expands the gender possibilities of the opera’s characters, creating a rare new opera that is accessible for students in an educational setting. Liverman and Rico worked directly with GSA Vocal Music students throughout the 2025-2026 school year, seeing them through auditions, rehearsals, and an extended residency. Both will present the work in person on opening night, providing rare, high-level mentorship while bringing a groundbreaking new opera home to Norfolk.

 

Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge is set inside a barbershop and beauty salon on Chicago’s West Side—a place where hair gets done, stories get shared, and community takes shape in real time. At the heart of the story is Chantel, a single mother who built her life around survival and responsibility. Having raised her daughter alone, she learned early how to keep going – even when rest, joy, and dreaming had to wait. As Chantel’s daughter Brandy comes into her own as a performer, their relationship reveals a generational tension many families recognize: the balance between protecting the future and believing in possibility. Chantel’s sister Monica offers a different approach (one rooted in creativity, joy, and freedom), challenging long-held ideas about what leadership and success should look like. Through music, humor, and everyday moments, Groom & Glow Lounge explores burnout, trust, and the power of shared responsibility.

 

Groom & Glow Lounge is not just a scaled version of the original – it is a purpose-built work that meets students where they are while centering Black women’s leadership, care, and resilience. This version of The Factotum shifts the focus from a large, multi-plot adult narrative to a clear, character-driven story more accessible and resonant for high school students. The emotional stakes are grounded in family, responsibility, dreams, and burnout – experiences students recognize in their own lives and households. Groom & Glow Lounge becomes both a workplace and a classroom: a space where students can explore how leadership, care, and creativity coexist. Musically and theatrically, this version is streamlined for student performers with clear ensemble roles, contemporary musical language, and scenes built around dialogue, rhythm, and storytelling. The shortened romantic subplot provides lightness and warmth without pulling focus from the core family story. Most importantly, this adaptation is designed to support social-emotional learning. Themes of stress, trust, communication, and asking for help are central to the narrative, offering students meaningful entry points for reflection, discussion, and creative exploration.

 

“The Governor’s School for the Arts changed the entire course of my life,” states Liverman. “It was the first place where I truly saw myself as an artist and where I was introduced to opera. Meeting Alan Fischer and Robert Brown was transformative. They were two of the most integra

l teachers in my life and the first people who made me believe that singing could be more than a passion. GSA also introduced me to what diversity looks like in the arts at an early age. That early exposure shaped how I see the world and how I approach my work. It taught me that excellence and diversity belong in the same space and that our stories matter. The friendships I made there have lasted a lifetime. It is also where I met Rico, who is now my creative partner. The fact that we are writing an opera for The Governor’s School today feels like a full-circle moment. It is such incredible inspiration to work with these students on this piece. I dedicate this experience in memory of Robert Brown and GSA alum, Ira Harris.”

 

“Coming back to GSA, the place that first exposed me to the scale, discipline, and power of full opera productions, feels incredibly full-circle,” Rico says. “This institution helped shape how I understand music, storytelling, and collaboration. To now stand in that same space creating new work—especially work designed specifically for today’s students – is both humbling and deeply affirming. It is especially meaningful to create a piece that speaks in the students’ native musical language, using rhythms, styles, and storytelling they recognize, while still honoring the operatic tradition. My hope is that this work expands their understanding of what opera can be – not as something distant or outdated, but as a living, flexible form that can hold their voices, their stories, and their futures.”

 

More information about Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge can be found here. Tickets to the May 1 and May 2 performances are available here.

 

Performance Information

Friday, May 1, 2026 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM

The Governor's School for the Arts Presents Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge

Wells Theater | Norfolk, VA

Link: https://gsa.booktix.com/dept/Vocal/e/Factotum

Tickets: General Admission : $20.00 $1.65 fee; Students Seniors : $10.00 $1.28 fee; GSA Student : $5.00 $1.09 fee

 

About Will Liverman

Called “a voice for this historic moment” (The Washington Post), GRAMMY® Award-winning baritone Will Liverman has been praised internationally for his versatility in dramatic and comedic operatic roles and his dedication and vision as a composer, artist, and advisor. He is the co-creator of soul opera The Factotum, which premiered at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2023. His collection of original songs, The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Volume II, was nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY® Award for Best Classical Compendium.

 

Liverman has appeared at English National Opera, Dutch National Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Washington National Opera, among many others. At The Met, Liverman made history as the first-ever Black Papageno in The Magic Flute; headlined Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up In My Bones, which won a 2023 GRAMMY® Award; and starred in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. He premiered Kevin Puts’ The Manchurian Candidate at Minnesota Opera and René Orth’s 10 Days in a Madhouse at Opera Philadelphia, and served as Artistic Advisor for Renée Fleming’s SongStudio at Carnegie Hall.

 

Recent and upcoming concert highlights include appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; performances at The Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center; and music festivals including the BBC Proms, Edinburgh, Tanglewood, and Aspen.

 

Cedille Records released Liverman’s Show Me The Way (2024) and Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers (2021), which were both nominated for GRAMMY® Awards for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album.

 

A recipient of The Met’s Beverly Sills Artist Award, Liverman holds degrees from The Juilliard School (M.M.) and Wheaton College in Illinois (B.M.). www.willliverman.com.

 

About DJ King Rico

DJ King Rico’s journey through the music world is a testament to his versatility and creativity. In June 2024, he co-produced the Song of the Year at the Los Angeles Academy of Music Production, selected out of hundreds of submissions. Previously, his forward-thinking approach to DJing led to collaborations with brands like Serato, Pioneer, and Numark, establishing his reputation as an innovator within the industry. At DistroKid, King took on multiple roles, including leadership in Artist Relations, where he championed the careers of independent artists.

 

As Co-Composer and Co-Creator of The Factotum, which premiered at Lyric Opera Chicago in 2023, Rico brought soul, opera, and comedy together in a genre-bending production. His unique sound earned him the 2024 Splice Grand Prize, securing 9 months of in-person mentorship from GRAMMY Award-winning duo, Stargate.

 

An alumnus of Shenandoah Conservatory and a world finalist in A-Trak’s Goldie Awards, DJ King Rico continues to push boundaries. He is currently focused on building his company For Lovers Only Entertainment, alongside collaborations with longtime friends, GRAMMY Award-winning baritone Will Liverman on Factotum: Groom & Glow Lounge and GRAMMY-nominated producer/drummer Corey Fonville in their duo, KFTB (Kids From The Beach).

 

About GSA:

The Governor’s School for the Arts (GSA) is a regional secondary art school sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education and the public school divisions of Chesapeake, Franklin, Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk and Virginia Beach. GSA is one of Virginia’s designated Governor’s Schools, providing tuition-free, pre-professional arts education for students with exceptional talent and potential in dance, instrumental music, musical theatre, theatre and film, visual arts, and vocal music. As a center for innovation in education, GSA develops excellence, nurtures creativity, and inspires artistic vision through intensive, individualized instruction. Connect with GSA on Instagram and Facebook or visit GSArts.org.

 

Photo Credit: Echard Wheeler for The Governor's School for the Arts

 

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