| Frederick Douglass | |
|---|---|
| Opera byUlysses Kay | |
 Frederick Douglass, the opera's protagonist | |
| Librettist | Donald Dorr |
| Premiere | |
Frederick Douglass is anopera in three acts composed byUlysses Kay to alibretto by Donald Dorr. Its story is a semi-fictionalized account of the final years in the life ofFrederick Douglass after his marriage to his second wife,Helen Pitts Douglass. The opera premiered on April 12, 1991, atNewark Symphony Hall performed by theNew Jersey State Opera in a production conducted by Alfredo Silipigni, directed by Louis Johnson and designed by Salvatore Tagliarino.[1][2]
In 1978 it was announced that both Kay and Dorr received grants from theNational Endowment for the Arts to work on the opera.[3] Dorr and Kay worked on the opera beginning in 1979 and completed it in 1985.[1]
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast April 12, 1991 (Cond. Alfredo Silipigni)[4] |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick Douglass | bass | Kevin Maynor |
| Helen, (Helen Pitts Douglass),his wife | soprano | Klara Barlow |
| Howard,Douglass's son | tenor | Gregory Rahming |
| Aubrey,a young officer | tenor | Ronald Naldi |
| Senator Norton | baritone | Mark Delavan |
| Busby,a merchant | tenor | Mark Nicolson |
| Demler,a newsman | tenor | Kirk Redmann |
| Secretary Welles | bass-baritone | Kenneth Church |
| Major Domo | bass-baritone | Richard McKee |
| Mrs. Sly,a guest | Jennifer Gucci | |
| Mrs. Pry,a guest | soprano | Tracy Magliaro |
| Agnes,a servant | soprano | Christine D'Amico |
| Timothy,her lover | tenor | Tony Buonauro |
Wright, Josephine R. B. (1984). "New Music".The Black Perspective in Music.12 (1: Spring). Cambria Heights, NY: Foundation for Research in the Afro-American Creative Arts: 143.JSTOR 1214977.OCLC 300234860.