Composer Damien Sneed on Bringing Scott Joplin's Treemonisha to Life as an Opera
Hancock and Kelley · Audacy
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Show Notes
Composer, Damien Sneed joins the Hancock and Kelly Show this morning to talk about his work on Scott Joplin's opera, "Treemonisha." Sneed has incorporated modern and new pieces into the 1911 work, which is now an opera in five acts. He discusses his journey from discovering the score as a student at Howard University, to orchestrating the entire opera, which had its orchestrations lost. Sneed also shares how Hurricane Harvey led to him discovering Schuler's full score for Porgy and Bess. Justin Austin, who plays the role of Scott Joplin in the production, and other cast members are also discussed. Treemonisha was never produced professionally during Joplin's lifetime, and Sneed's work represents the first realization of the full opera.