A New Canon: Dismantling Racist Exclusion in Opera and Paving the Way for Inclusive Representation

This document examines the exclusion of African American opera from the traditional Western operatic canon and standard performance practices within educational institutions and professional organizations. The narrow conception of opera as a European art form has obscured the contributions and cultural significance of works by pioneering African American composers. This study addresses this gap and elevates neglected histories by arguing for African American opera's artistic merit and contemporary relevance within the American operatic tradition. Through musical and historical analysis of representative works from the late 19th/early 20th centuries onwards, I aim to illuminate the genre's unheard tales of struggle, identity, and collective empowerment. Composers like William Grant Still and Harry Lawrence Freeman combined spirituals, African rhythms, and European structures to create a hybrid art form crafted to capture the multifaceted Black experience in America. However, the lack of preservation and distribution and false dichotomies separating “classical” from “folk” music have limited widespread recognition of works that contain insights into marginalization and resilience. To understand barriers to inclusion, I analyze discriminatory practices and attitudes that have legitimized the marginalization of African American opera within mainstream institutions. Standard audition requirements, curricula, and programming reflect a narrow cultural perspective rather than authentic diversity. My research question centers on how resistant characteristics can be addressed through education, exposure, and adaptions centered on inclusivity. Adopting a mixed methods approach, I conduct a musicological analysis of select works and examine primary sources from pioneering opera companies juxtaposed with contemporary scholarship on activism, pedagogy, and anti-racist practices. My findings reveal African American opera as integral to understanding identity and empowerment within the arc of Black musical tradition in America. By shedding light on marginalized perspectives and advocating for the full integration of this undervalued genre, my dissertation calls for transformative change, aiming to dismantle systemic disadvantages within opera. My research recommendations focus on expanding curricula, reevaluating audition expectations, and diversifying performance programming. These measures foster a more inclusive understanding of opera's historical significance and potential within the American musical landscape. In alignment with this vision, I find resonance in the words of Philip A. Ewell, particularly concerning music theory and its applicability to the realm of opera. Moreover, Ewell highlights the urgency of moving away from undergraduate textbooks solely centered around the music of white composers. His words emphasize the need for a reimagined canon that enriches our cultural understanding and advances the field's responsibility to embrace and celebrate diversity authentically. As Ewell eloquently states, "If we truly 'embraced all approaches and perspectives,' then we would make them—part of [our curricula], from freshman theory to doctoral comprehensive exams, and our undergraduate textbooks would not be based solely on the music of whites.” This mindset enriches opera's cultural fabric and underscores our 1 collective responsibility to foster authentic diversity within the field.