Opera America
Photo by LA Opera
Opera companies are working with HBCUs to invite Black singers to the stage
Tenor Russell Thomas, an artist-in-residence at LA Opera since 2021, has been working to expand the company’s creative and community engagement programs, taking particular care to connect with the next generation of singers. In 2021, he began contacting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to discuss potential partnerships involving their students. Of the 82 emails he sent to such institutions, however, only three responded. “It can be a very closed community, unfortunately,” Thomas says. “These colleges want to protect their students, but sometimes you can be so protectionist that you miss out on opportunities.”
Now, in order to address historic exclusionary practices against people of color in higher education and the arts, arts organizations around the country — including opera companies — are partnering with HBCUs to provide more educational and professional development opportunities for students from marginalized backgrounds and strengthen relationships with the Black community.