Opera & Democracy: Opera and the Intersections of Democracy

2024 is a big year for democracy. With national elections in 40 countries including the US, the UK, and South Africa, as well as parliamentary elections for the European Union, democratic values will once again be put to the ultimate test. 2024 also marks important anniversaries in the history of democracy. These include the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first democratic elections, the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which paved the way for democratic transitions behind the so-called ‘Iron Curtain’, and the 57th anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia case in the US, which initiated the legalization of interracial marriage. Despite these significant milestones, however, democracy’s promises of equality have not yet been fully realized. Around the world, women, people of color, stateless persons, and sexual and religious minorities remain subject to political neglect and disenfranchisement. Moreover, democracy itself appears under threat from a rise in extremist and populist rhetoric.

BORN’s 2024 public discussion forum asks how opera can respond to these challenges. It considers what role opera has to play in the celebration and/or implementation of democratic culture, and reflects specifically on the interaction between race, political agency, and presence on the operatic stage. The event, which is open to all, draws together an international panel of practitioners and experts involved in the creation of Nkoli: The Vogue Opera (Johannesburg, 2023, music by Philip Miller), Loving v. Virginia (Virginia Opera, 2025, music by Damien Geter), and the discussion series, Opera & Democracy: Transatlantic Conversations & Concerts. Together, they will examine opera’s historical role in advancing democratic values, its participation in the sounding and/or silencing of disenfranchised voices, and its future potential to empower political understanding and participation among citizens around the world.

Philip Miller, composer of Nkoli: The Vogue Opera (Johannesburg, 2023)

Tshegofatso Moeng, musical director of Nkoli: The Vogue Opera (Johannesburg, 2023)

Allison Smith, Civic Engagement Coordinator of Virginia Opera

Kai Hinrich Müller, convenor of Opera & Democracy: Transatlantic Conversations & Concerts (Cologne University of Music and Dance)

Joy Calico, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Joshua Tolulope David, University of Toronto

This event is presented by the Black Opera Research Network in collaboration with the Thomas Mann House.