A Minneapolis opera brings back a pioneering Black composer
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Composer Florence Price’s music once reached major American orchestras. In the 1930s her works were performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, making her the first Black woman to achieve that recognition. Within a generation, her story has largely dropped out of the mainstream.
A new opera in Minneapolis is challenging that long absence.
Opera director Eboni Adams said Price’s brilliance lay in “contributing to an art form that wasn’t always welcoming her with open arms.” Adams is at the helm of “My Name is Florence,” a new work that canonizes Price.
“To be honest, there was very little that I knew about Florence Price,” Adams said. She began researching the 20th-century composer in depth.
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Turning biography into opera
Minnesota Opera commissioned the show as part of its new works initiative. It also marked a shift for librettist Harrison David Rivers.
“I’ve written librettos for musical theater … but this is my first opera, and it’s been a wild ride,” he said.
As part of the new works project, Minnesota Opera paired Rivers with composer B.E. Boykin. Boykin introduced him to Florence Price’s story through a biography.
“I was like, this is an incredible story and an incredible woman. Let's put her on stage,” Rivers said.
That initial introduction to Price led to “My Name is Florence,” which has its world premiere on Jan. 31.
“This opera is about giving Florence Price her flowers, sort of belatedly acknowledging her contribution,” said Rivers.
Bringing Price to the stage
The show doesn’t follow a linear structure like a traditional grand opera. Rather, this chamber opera shows moments throughout Price’s life.
“We're not just learning about Florence B. Price,” said Flora Hawk, who portrays Price in the opera. “We're learning about the people that made her Florence.”
To prepare for the role, Hawk listened to Price’s music and considered how the composer might sound as an operatic character.
“There's a beauty to her music,” Hawk said. “I feel like [that] would be her voice — if she was a singer — it would be something very, very light, but beautiful.”
Price’s story is a reminder that while orchestral music is often stereotyped as a “white” art form, people of color have contributed to it for generations. That thought has prompted director Eboni Adams to invite the audience of “My Name is Florence” to examine what other stories haven’t been told, and why not.
“It feels like a lesson in listening and in Learning and honoring a legacy that always was present but wasn't given the space to be remembered and acknowledged,” Adams said.
“My Name is Florence” runs at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul through Feb. 8.
