First African-American opera premieres after 138 years

A long-lost opera from the Black Creole composer Edmond Dédé had its world premiere this year in New Orleans, including a series of performances in Louisiana, Washington, and New York.

“Morgiane,” a tale of political resistance set in Persia, is the oldest extant opera by a Black American. Its score had been lost since the late 19th century, when Dédé composed the work while living in France amid rising tensions in his native United States.

“Edmond Dédé, a fourth-generation free person of color born in 1827 New Orleans, had an incredibly successful career as a conductor and composer in Bordeaux, France, writing nearly 100 critically and popularly acclaimed works for the French stage,” reads a description from Opera Lafayette, a Washington-based outfit that produced the premiere with New Orleans’ Black Catholic-led nonprofit OperaCréole.

“His magnum opus, however—a four act French grand opera on themes from Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves—had yet to receive a premiere at the time of his death, and languished, unrecognized, in private collections and libraries for over a century.”

Conducted by New Orleans native Patrick Dupré Quigley and led by a mostly Black cast including soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams as Morgiane and bass Kenneth Kellogg as Sultan Kourouschah, “Morgiane” opened to positive reviews. Concert settings were held at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Washington’s Lincoln Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater in New York, and Dekelboum Concert Hall at the University of Maryland.

The performances were not fully staged, instead being centered on the handwritten Dédé score discovered through Harvard University, which purchased it from a collector in 2007. OperaCréole cofounder Givonna Joseph spearheaded efforts to bring the piece to the stage.

“It’s a heartbreaking idea,” said Joseph during a January webinar, on the fact that Dédé neither found a venue for his opera in France nor the United States, the latter being under the rule of Jim Crow—including in Louisiana, where Black opera interest had peaked just decades before.

“He came back home one time around 1897 and was surprised to find out he was not allowed to perform in some of our best acoustical places, our opera houses and our theaters… I don't know if he tried to have Morgiane premiered while he was here, but he wasn't received well by wider New Orleans.”

Today, Dédé’s fame has grown with recognition of his early work in the performing arts. It is also believed that other free Black Americans of his era may have also left long-forgotten works that simply await discovery. 

A recording of Dédé’s “Morgiane,” made during its premiere tour, will be released soon and interested parties can subscribe to the Opera Lafayette newsletter for more information. A commercial recording will be released by early 2026.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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