Washington National Opera
Written in Stone
Eisenhower Theater
Today’s most exciting artists offer four unmissable world premieres! Creative teams Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran, Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang, Kamala Sankaram and A.M. Homes, and Carlos Simon and Marc Bamuthi Joseph present intimate and interwoven works.
Mar. 5 - 25, 2022
Genre
Music
Price Range
$35.00 – $199.00
Runtime
Approx. 2 and a half hours
World Premiere
In English with Projected English Titles
Presenting Sponsor
Performance Sponsor
Mellon Foundation
View Digital Program
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Officer Victoria Wilson & Laurel
J’Nai Bridges
Chantal
Alicia Hall Moran*
Robert McNamara
Rod Gilfry
Maya Lin
Karen Vuong*
Phuong Tran
Nina Yoshida Nelsen*
BKLYN & Grady Mitchell
Christian Mark Gibbs*
Alicia Hernández
Vanessa Becerra
A Powerful Woman/Adelaide Johnson
Daryl Freedmanâ€
Maria Hernández
Danielle Talamantes*
The Monument
Suzannah Waddington^
MTCHLL
Alfred Walker*
In English with Projected English Titles
World Premiere
What stories do our monuments tell? What legacies do they embody? What memories do they cement?
Four iconic places. Four creative teams. Four intimate stories. Some of America’s most exciting artists, musicians, composers, and librettists assemble to create four unmissable world premieres as a jewel in the crown of the Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary season. Inspired by Washington D.C.’s iconic monuments and the ideals embodied by President Kennedy, Written in Stone is a series of interwoven short works presented together in a single evening. Creative teams Jason Moran and Alicia Hall Moran, Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang, Kamala Sankaram and A.M. Homes, and Carlos Simon and Marc Bamuthi Joseph offer intimate stories that celebrate diversity and acknowledge the struggles of today’s America.
This evening of captivating melody and story will feature performances from opera stars J’Nai Bridges, Rod Gilfry, and more, led by renowned conductor Robert Spano in his WNO debut!
Jason Moran, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, pianist, and composer
Alicia Hall Moran, renowned mezzo-soprano and multi-dimensional artist
The Morans offer a moving work to introduce the idea of “monumentalism”—the uniquely American celebration of commemorating certain people and deeds.
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Chantal
Alicia Hall Moran*
Kamala Sankaram, acclaimed composer and instrumentalist
A.M. Homes, best-selling author and essayist
Bringing to life the often forgotten 1921 Portrait Monument featuring Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, and one face left uncarved, Sankaram and Homes give a voice to those whose stories have been left out of history.
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Alicia Hernández
Vanessa Becerra
Officer Victoria Wilson
J’Nai Bridges
A Powerful Woman/Adelaide Johnson
Daryl Freedmanâ€
Maria Hernández
Danielle Talamantes*
The Monument
Suzannah Waddington^
Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Kennedy Center Vice President and Artistic Director of Social Impact, poet, playwright, and educator
Carlos Simon, Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence and 2021 Sphinx Medal of Excellence recipient
In this story of love and reconciliation, a father and son meet on opposite sides of a rally about same-sex marriage outside of the Supreme Court.
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Laurel
J’Nai Bridges
BKLYN
Christian Mark Gibbs*
MTCHLL
Alfred Walker*
Huang Ruo, award-winning composer
David Henry Hwang, Tony Award-winning playwright, librettist, and screenwriter
The controversial origin of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is at the heart of this story featuring interconnected yet conflicting characters: Maya Lin, the Chinese American student architect of the memorial’s design; a Vietnam War veteran; a Vietnamese refugee; and a government official.
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Maya Lin
Karen Vuong*
Phuong Tran
Nina Yoshida Nelsen*
Grady Mitchell
Christian Mark Gibbs*
Robert McNamara
Rod Gilfry
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
^ Currently in the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
(Left to right) Christian Mark Gibbs (tenor) and Alfred Walker (bass-baritone) in it all falls down. Photo by Scott Suchman.
(Left to right) Daryl Freedman (mezzo-soprano), Vanessa Becerra (soprano), Danielle Talamantes (soprano), Suzzane Waddington (soprano), J'nai Bridges (mezzo-soprano) in Rise. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Alicia Hall Moran (mezzo- soprano) in Chantal. Photo by Scott Suchman.
Ensemble cast in it all falls down. Photo by Scott Suchman.
† Alumnus of the Cafritz Young Artist Program
*WNO Mainstage Debut
Conductor
Robert Spano*
Director
James Robinson
Set Designer
Erhard Rom
Costume Designer
Dede Ayite*
Lighting Designer
Mark McCullough
Projection Designer
S. Katy Tucker
“A monument is a story etched in stone”
What is a monument? Who is it for? What does it ask of us? Stone Memory was a world premiere installation projecting compelling moving images March 3 - 15 on the REACH campus across our Skylight Pavilion’s 145-foot-long, 42-foot-tall exterior wall, and was commissioned to accompany the world premiere of Written In Stone.
“A monument is a story etched in stone”
What is a monument? Who is it for? What does it ask of us? Stone Memory was a world premiere installation projecting compelling moving images March 3 - 15 on the REACH campus across our Skylight Pavilion’s 145-foot-long, 42-foot-tall exterior wall, and was commissioned to accompany the world premiere of Written In Stone.
Help build a rich legacy on the values of artistic excellence, engagement with a broad community, and a thriving future for the art form of opera and its audiences.
All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.
All ticket prices are subject to change based on demand. Purchase early to lock in prices and the best seats!
The National Endowment for the Arts, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music
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