Mother King is a conceptual Black opera created and presented by OperaWorks 52. Mother King interprets the story of Alberta Williams King, slain activist and mother of Martin Luther King, Jr. Vanessa Feuntes wrote the libretto and Dameun Strange wrote the score.

SIX SINGERS
Six local vocalists will bring this story of Black Birth, Black Resilience, and Black Joy to life along with a 12-member instrumental ensemble. Michael McDowell, Sarah M. Greer, Roland Hawkins, Kevin “Kaoz” Moore, and Ava McFarlane will join Liz Gre (who plays the title role) on stage.

SIX SHOWS
Mother King will run the last two weekends of July.

Thursday thru Saturday, July 20-22
Thursday thru Saturday, July 27-29.
7pm – all performances
Public Functionary
1400 12th Avenue NE
Minneapolis

Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 for students and elders – Get tickets

ABOUT OPERAWORKS52
OperaWorks 52 is a music- and story-telling partnership that aims to highlight overlooked narratives, including the stories of individuals of color, Native people, women and those in the LGBTQ community. OperaWorks 52 challenges the status quo of Euro-centric exclusivity and makes way for boundless possibility. Mother King is their first project, and is being produced through a partnership with Public Functionary.

The mission of OperaWorks 52 is to bring opera back to the people. Pushing beyond the confines of the genre, we advocate for the stories, legends, and mythologies of people of color, women, and LGBTQ people.

ABOUT DAMEUN STRANGE
Dameun Strange is an award-winning composer and sound designer who creates soundscapes that explore the outer limits of music and creativity, fusing them into a style and sound uniquely his own. A native of Washington, DC he was heavily influenced by his early study of Classical, Jazz, Electronic, and West African genres, and has since delved into Gospel, Neo-Soul, Acid-Jazz, Ska and Hip-Hop, creating innovative and integrative arrangements rich in magnetic sound. www.dameunstrange.com

ABOUT VENESSA FUENTES
Venessa Fuentes is one of 16 writers featured in A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota (Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2016).

ABOUT PUBLIC FUNCTIONARY
Public Functionary (PF) is an art exhibition and social space in Northeast Minneapolis that opened in 2012. PF invites a broader audience reflective of the creative diversity of the Twin Cities to feel welcome, engaged and connected. The Public Functionary curatorial approach is to bring diverse perspectives into a shared space on equal ground. PF shares and exhibits artists who create work that is responsive, hyper-present and intrinsic to their experience of the world and this moment in it. PF supports art that challenges us to be better and bolder. publicfunctionary.org