2024-2025 Season
What a wonderful Season it has been!
Thank you to all our Partners:
Washington, D.C.-based Opera Lafayette,
The Historic New Orleans Collection, The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Stanford In Washington,
The French Consulate of New Orleans, Opera America, The Folger Shakespeare Library, MS Rau,
The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts (CAAPA),
Opera Ebony and The Reclaiming Legacy Project
Artist Contributors:
Steven Edwards, Morgiane Chorus Preparations; Juliana Starr, French Translations;
Valencia Pleasant and Taylor J. White, Rehearsal and Travel Coordination; Aria Mason, Supertitles
And our Presenters:
The Creole Heritage Center, The Performing Arts Serving Acadiana (PASA), The Whitney Plantation, The Louisiana Museum of African American History, and The New Orleans Spring Fiesta
A Perfect Partnership!
Patrick Quigley, Conducor and Artistic Director of Washington, D.C.-based Opera Lafayette, and our founder, Givonna Joseph
presenting at
Stanford in Washington's
Stanford's Global Leaders Convening,
Frederick Douglass's historic Cedar Hill home, Washington, D.C.
OperaCréole on Tour
In Natchitoches and Lafayette, LA.
(L-R) Valencia Pleasan, Dr. Wilfred Delphin, Taylor J, White ,Givonna Joseph, and Jashua Staes (c)
A Panel Discussion and performance
The Art of Edmond Dédé
MS Rau Antiques, Royal St., N.O.
Patrick Quigley, Bill Rau,
Givonna Joseph, Emily Otranto
Joshua Staes, Givonna Joseph, Taylor J. White,
Anna Briscoe, and Valencia Pleasant
Panelists for the manuscript exhibit of
Edmond Dédé's Morgiane
Patrick and Givonna with Historians, Ersian Francois and Nevilla Ottley
The Folger Shakespeare Library,
Washington, D.C.
The Whitney Plantation's
10th Anniversary Gala
Joshua, Valencia, Sakinah Davis, Givonna, J.T Hassell, pianist
The Sugar Mill, N.O.
Our Co-Founder was honored by
The New Orleans Tourism and Culture Fund
Mardi Gras World
High School Education Outreach
at
The New Orleans Cener for the Creative Arts
Edmond Dédé's Homecoming
Promoting the Jan. 23rd
New Orleans World Premiere. Preview in of
Edmond Dédé's
Morgiane
With Anwar Nasir of the LPO
In partnership with the Historic New Orleans Collecrion
THEN, a historic snowstorm shut
New Orleans down.
We had to postpone
It's January 24, and snow and ice are still on the ground
Pre-performance panel
The Williams Research Center,
The Historic New Orleans Collection
Jari Honora, moderator, with Givonna Joseph,
Candace Bailey, historian, and Patrick Quigley
Our singers and the WLAE-TV crew wait and wonder...
Will people come out?
THEY DID INDEED!
St. Louis Cathedral
HNOC's Daniel Hammer
Mary Elizabeth Williams,
as Morgiane
Chauncey Packer and
Taylor J. Wihite as Ali and Amine
Mary Elizabeth Williams,
Givonna Joseph,
Patrick Quigley, conductor
The Dédé Family
Washington, D.C.
The whole cast travels to D.C.
Rehearsal with Opera Lafayette's orchestra
at The Kennedy Center
A panel discussion for students at
Stanford In Washington
with Mary Elizabeth Williams, soprano
and Jonathan Woody, baritone
Outreach with CAAPA
,
Panel at the CAAPA Cultural Center
Givonna Joseph with Joshua Conyers, baritone, and Nevilla Ottley, historian
Masterclass with Nicole Cabell, soprano (center)
at Howard University
World Premiere
The Historic Lincoln Theater
Patrick Quigley, Conductor
Opera Lafayette's orchestra
OperaCréole singers
Jean-Marie Schevin, Edmond Dédé's great-great-grandson, (c) with fiancée Anna Schohn (l), and Dédé biographer ,Sally McKee
OperaCréole co-founders with Rona King, member of the Friends of Edmond Dédé Circle
New York City
Panel Discussion
Opera America's
National Opera Center
Givonna Joseph, Eldric Bashful of Opera Ebony, Lisa Mion and PatrickQuigley of Opera Lafayette, with Mark Scorca of Opera America
Jazz at Lincoln Center
Taylor J. White, A Merchant, Valencia Pleasant,
A Servant, Antonio Domino, A Lord
Kenneth Kellogg, The Sultan, Joshua Conyers, Hagi-Hasson, Nicole Cabell, Amine, Chauncey Packer, Ali
Jonathan Woody, Beher-not shown
Maryland
Live CD Recording
The Clarice
University of Maryland
Covers for the lead roles:
Ivan Griffin, The Sultan, Taylor J. White, Amine,
Joshua Staes, Beher and Hagi-Hassan,
Valenica Pleasant, Morgiane
Back Row: Joshua Staes, Christopher-Lawson Palmer, Antonio Domino, William Alber, Juiana Starr, Herbert Spurlock, Charles Mukaida
Front Row: Olivia Browne, Jennifer Croisier, Taylor J. White, Ekanem Ebinne, Givonna Joseph, Valencia Pleasnt, Tamia Poret, David Michel, and Ivan Griffin Santrell Jade Perdue (not shown)
Back Home to New Orleans
Our Founder , Gvonna Joseph
was an Honorary Culture Bearer,
one of the
Muses to The Muses,
In the
The Krewe of Muses Parade
Les Salon et Chanson
for
The New Orleans Spring Fiesta Association
Jari Honora, Givonna Joseph with Missy Curran (rt) and daughters/singers Cami Rose and Céci Curran
Givonna Joseph with "Lafayette" Sang the French and American National Anthems for
The Reenactment of
The Marquis de Lafayette's 1825 visit to New Orleans
The Cabildo
OperaCréole receives the
Jack and Jill of The Year Award
from the
New Orleans Chapter of Jack and Jill , Inc.
Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason with OperaCréole Advisory Board member Cree Merriman Jourdain
The Pavilion at City Park
The NOTCF Staff
Cutural Working Group (Givonna, (r)
Join the Parade
to open the
2025
French Quarter Fest
Lisa Alexis, Execitive Director, (center)
Candelight Memorial
for Black Civil War Hero
Captian Andre Cailloux.
Presented by
The Reclaiming Legacy Project.
A scene from Lions of Reconstrucion was presented
Givonna, as Sr. Josephine Charles
Sgt. Ronald Joseph, pianist
Singers: Olivia Browne, Jennifer Croisier, Herbert Spurlock
at Le Musee de F.P.C.