Richard Kennedy

“Opera means great effort and that inspired me to start thinking of it as the most Black art form there is. The tra- ditional structure of opera lends itself to fantasy, tragedy and opulence in ways that mirror many Black experiences. Black people have long starred in operas but the roles written for Black people are few. I go to the opera every now and again and I’m usually one of maybe ten Black people in the audience. Opera needs us, and we need operas that center the Black experience without the slave narrative or Prince Charming on a white horse cliché”
- Richard Kennedy, 2019