The Black Opera Research Network “wishes to serve as a platform for conversations on the history, experiences, politics, and practices of Black opera. Recent ongoing scholarship increasingly calls for such a platform, as the long presence of Black creativity in opera comes gradually, and often painfully, into focus in public and academic spheres. The range of music, contexts and experiences call into question all assumptions about even the most basic terms of reference: How do we define opera? What constitutes Blackness? And why do we need to define Black opera?….The Black Opera Research Network explores opera both inside and outside the traditional structures of the West. Our critical interests, broadly conceived, include: the relationship between opera and race; operatic activities, both historical and current, that challenge the perceived whiteness of opera as a genre; operatic cultures that extend the boundaries of traditional, or canonic Western opera. We aim: to contribute to the expanding discourse on alternative operatic cultures; to advocate an inclusive, socially responsive and responsible critical scholarship; to facilitate a dialogue between scholars, and between scholars and performers; to develop and curate resources for teaching and research on black operatic activity around the world.” Includes a substantial bibliography of public literature, unpublished dissertations, online resources, audio-visual resources, and works. Also hosts a news forum and periodically organizes events.

• access site here
• keywords: global history; multimedia; race studies; gender studies; interdisciplinary; living music, early music, Western music, advocacy, bibliography

• Listing ID: 1981
• Resource Type: Bibliography
• Audience: undergrad + grad