Sakinah A. Davis

This symposium is a first attempt to explore nuanced African Diasporic perspectives within opera that are often left out of standardized canonical discussions. The operas chosen to start this conversation are those of “Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin and “La flamenca” and “Le spahi,” both by Lucien Lambert, Jr. To examine these three operas within their original cultural contexts, “Restoring the Narrative” engages participants in participatory workshops, performance demonstrations, and scholarly discourse regarding nuance within Gullah-Geechee, Afro-Cuban, and colonial Afro-Francophone communities. The overall goals for this symposium are for participants to be exposed to these lesser-known works and, as a result, reexamine the significance of African Diasporic perspectives within opera.