In a moment of milestones and tribulation, it’s only fitting that the nation’s capital hosts a revival of Scott Joplin’s “Treemonisha.”
As America gears up for its 250th anniversary in July, Washington National Opera (WNO) is honoring a 70-year legacy of unconventional empowerment not unlike Joplin’s 1910 composition.
Featuring an all-Black production, original music, and a new stage, WNO’S “Treemonisha” revives a generational resistance in a moment needed most.
“[This] story can be told beautifully by anyone, but [WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello] wanted to make it intentional, that it was people who were sort of the artistic descendants, in a way…where we understood what was going on in this culture,” said project director and recently retired mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. “[Saying yes to joining] was a no-brainer.”
Hosted at WNO’s new home in Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University, Graves boosted the production to the tune of beauty and resilience during a “Director’s Dialogue” on March 5 with playwright Kyle Bass, composer Damien Sneed, and Washington National Opera General Director Timothy O’Leary.
Set in the 1800s post-Reconstruction, “Treemonisha” highlights a generational tale of opportunity and academic freedom in the face of oppression, amped by an educated freedwoman as the impetus of leadership.
While the production wouldn’t stage until 1972, 55 years after Joplin’s death, the piano vocal score and spiritual resistance was preserved in Washington’s Library of Congress, laying a pivotal foundation for the 2026 emulation.
“We wanted to look at where people were going, and we wanted it to be aspirational,” Graves said. “You really lean into the hope, into the joy…into the sense of agency –– and Black governance was an important piece for us.”
Evidently, that sentiment holds both on and off the stage.
Alongside Bass’ dialogue and the reimagined musical arrangements and orchestration, “Treemonisha” stars an all-Black cast and crew –– from the performers and musicians, to the innovative minds behind designing the costumes, stage and lighting.
Plus, Sneed jests the role of on-stage pianist, a full-circle moment of pride for the virtuoso.
“When I was a student at Howard University, I always dreamed about doing something with the Washington National Opera,” Sneed told The Informer, “[and] why they left the [recently renamed] Trump Kennedy Center to come here, it speaks of resistance. It speaks of something that artists, creatives, musicians and music itself should always speak to.”
Following President Donald J. Trump’s 2025 decision to take over and rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, WNO recently joined a tab of artists and partnered institutions moving away from the national cultural center, citing financial challenges and a new business model in a statement issued Jan. 9.
Roughly two months later, the March 7-8 debut of “Treemonisha” served as WNO’s 70th season opener and first performance since the announcement, delivering to two sold-out audiences at Northwest, D.C.’s Lisner Auditorium.
“We are heralding an American ideal of civic society, where these mission-based organizations are created and sustained by we, the people,” O’Leary said, “they are not subject to the control of any branch of any government…and we’re going on with the show.”
After commending the power of art as a form of protest, Sneed highlighted the production’s reach beyond the likes of thespians and dramateurs.
“I want people to dream beyond the theater, beyond what they see here, because the future…may hold things that we don’t even see or can fathom right now,” he told The Informer, “but having an opportunity in this world, with all of its problems and political hang ups, that there can still be creativity, where every hand in it is a hand of color…that’s powerful.”
With a curtain call set for March 15, Graves touted pride for the “American masterpiece” she hopes will continue to inspire others, just as it’s done for her.
“This is a story that hits very close to home and [it’s] a great challenge…with an incredible team of beautiful artists that I have learned so much [from],” she said, addressing the room on March 5. “Thank you all for giving us the opportunity to give birth to this moment, to share this not only with the community, but the world.”
The final performance of Washington National Opera’s “Treemonisha” is set for March 15 at 2 p.m. Purchase tickets here.