From the award-winning team of librettist Tazewell Thompson and composer Jeanine Tesori comes Blue, a portrait of contemporary African American life.

Opera has rarely been as topical as Blue. Set in in Harlem, New York, a black couple anticipates the birth of its first-born son, with both hope and anxiety. The mother worries about her son’s future as she watches him become a young man and enter the world of activism. Meanwhile, the father tries to open his son’s eyes to the realities of 21st century America, whilst simultaneously struggling with his own identity as a police officer, a ‘Black man in blue’. When the parents’ deepest fears come true, they have to find a way to cope with reality. 

behind the scenes
year 2022, length 8 minutes
Produced and funded by Dutch National Opera & Ballet
directed and edited by Karim Ouri, director of photography Cas Esders