Champion

by Terence Blanchard
Opera Screening
Sung in English with English Subtitles

An NCPA-The Metropolitan Opera (New York) Presentation

Terence Blanchard is a celebrated composer whose works express his roots in jazz but defy further categorisation. A prolific creator in a wide variety of forms and genres, he is especially celebrated for his close collaboration with director Spike Lee and his accomplishments as an award-winning composer of more than 60 film scores. When Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones opened the Met’s 2021–22 season to universal acclaim, it marked a historic moment in the annals of the company. Now, the six-time Grammy Award–winning composer’s first opera will be screened at the NCPA. In Hempstead, Long Island, Emile Griffith suffers from dementia, and is confused and haunted by his past. Luis, his adopted son, acts as his caretaker along with Griffith’s mother, Emelda. Emile moves to New York to fulfil his hopes and dreams of becoming a world-class fighter. Champion showcases the various stages of Griffith’s progression during his lifetime—from the 1950s up until the 1980s.

Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Cast: Latonia Moore, Stephanie Blythe, Ryan Speedo Green & Eric Owens

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