The First Bluebird in the Morning is composer Carlos Simon’s newly commissioned setting of verses by Sandra Seaton — sobering, heartfelt, and moving. Created by an all-Black artistic team, it portrays an incarcerated man’s thoughts on the day before his release. Shot in stunning black and white, the film is directed and choreographed by Jamar Roberts. In a breathtaking performance, solo dancer Lloyd Knight, a principal dancer for the Martha Graham Dance Company, brings life and movement to the piece in combination with the voice of tenor Joshua Blue (who made his mainstage LA Opera debut in 2022 in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion). The official press release for the project can be found here.

Cast and Creative Team:
Carlos Simon, composer
Sandra Seaton, librettist
Joshua Blue, tenor
Jamar Roberts, choreographer
Lloyd Knight, dancer
Howard Watkins, pianist
Anja Wood, cellist
Commissioned by LA Opera

ABOUT THE PRODUCERS

Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reach people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. The company also offers a multitude of online content via its LA Opera On Now digital offerings, which launched in 2020. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

The Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera are supported by The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation.