Homecoming: Edmond Dédé’s “Morgiane”

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is dedicated to maintaining live orchestral music and a full-scale symphonic orchestra as an integral part of the cultural and educational life of the New Orleans area, the entire state of Louisiana, and the Gulf South region. Formed in 1991, the LPO is the oldest full-time musician-governed and collaboratively-operated orchestra in the United States.

The LPO offers a full 36-week season with more than 120 performances, including classics, light classics, pops, education, family, park, and community engagement concerts in New Orleans and across multi-parish areas. In addition, The LPO collaborates with and provides orchestral support for other cultural and performing arts organizations, including the New Orleans Opera Association, New Orleans Vocal Arts Chorale, New Orleans Ballet Association, Delta Festival Ballet, Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, and the Historic New Orleans Collection.

OperaCréole was founded in 2011 by the mother-and-daughter team of Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason and is dedicated to researching and performing lost or rarely presented works by composers of African descent. This year marks their 15th anniversary! This award-winning nonprofit specializes in works by 19th-century New Orleans free composers of color and works that promote Louisiana’s Creole language and culture. OperaCréole’s groundbreaking work includes the 2017 production of the lost opera La Flamenca (1903), by Lucien Lambert, and the 2025 tri-city premiere and production of Edmond Dédé’s grand opera, Morgiane. Their recent recording of Morgiane, in partnership with Washington, DC-based Opera Lafayette, is forthcoming. Most recently, OperaCréole has been featured in a Cash App Communities commercial. In addition to mounting its own productions, OperaCréole regularly performs in collaboration with local cultural institutions and at regional festivals and conferences. The ensemble presents historically themed concerts, educational presentations, and speaking engagements. Since 2011, OperaCréole has received numerous awards for contributions to the operatic sphere. In 2017, cofounders Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason were named among Southern Living’s Southerners of the Year.

Patrick Dupre Quigley, conductor/arranger/composer/producer, is founder and artistic director of Seraphic Fire and artistic director designate of the Washington, DC–based period instrument opera company Opera Lafayette.

Quigley is known for his engaging performances of historically informed programming that draw in new audiences and delight regular concertgoers. A ceaseless advocate for a more inclusive concert experience, he creates programs that regularly span more than a thousand years of musical history. This season Quigley conducts the world premiere of Edmond Dédé’s 1887 French grand opera Morgiane, ou, Le Sultan d’Ispahan, the earliest extant opera by a Black American, mounted in full in February 2025 by Opera Lafayette in partnership with OperaCréole. Seraphic Fire will give the modern world premiere of eighteenth-century composer Marianna Martines’s O, virgo, cui salutem for soprano and orchestra.

Recent and upcoming programs include Bach’s orchestral suites with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Chicago’s Music of the Baroque; return engagements with Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and New World Symphony; and conducting debuts with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other guest conducting invitations have come from the Cleveland Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Mobile Symphony Orchestra, Artis-Naples, New Jersey Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Antonio Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, and the Utah Symphony.

Quigley holds an undergraduate degree in music theory and history from the University of Notre Dame and a master of music degree in conducting from the Yale School of Music. He has assisted Michael Tilson Thomas in rehearsals, performances, and recordings at the San Francisco Symphony. Quigley is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and currently resides in Washington, DC.

As founder and artistic director of the award-winning OperaCréole, Givonna Joseph's research on operatic composers of African descent has been featured in the New Yorker, Southern Living, and NPR. She has been featured on Le Grand Tour, a documentary for French TV, and on the radio program Music Inside Out with Gwen Thompkins. Her company, OperaCréole, has received a wards from Gambit magazine's Tribute to the Classical Arts, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, and the Louisiana Creole Research Association. Since 2011 Joseph has worked alongside her daughter, OperaCréole cofounder Aria M. Mason, to successfully mount lost or underperformed operas by composers of color, such as Samuel Coleridge Taylor's Thelma and Lucien Lambert's La Flamenca. In 2018 they created an original opera, Les Lions de la Reconstruction, in honor of the tricentennial of New Orleans's founding.

Grammy-nominated baritone Joshua Conyers, a native of Bronx, New York, has been hailed internationally for his performances of new and standard operatic works. His 2024–25 season includes the release of his debut album, A Miracle in Legacy, recorded with pianist Chelsea Whitaker, and a North American recital tour. He joins Piedmont Opera for Norman Dello Joio’s Joan of Arc: The Trial of Rouen, in the role of Pierre Cauchon; portrays Hassan in Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d'Ispahan, with OperaCréole, Opera Lafayette, and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra ; and performs the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff, with Vashon Opera. On the concert platform, Conyers makes his debut with the New World Symphony in George Crumb’s A Journey beyond Time: American Songbook II, performs as soloist in Handel’s Messiah in his debut with the Phoenix Symphony, and presents the recital Histories VI: Goethe (songs by Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf) at the Brooklyn Art Song Society.  

In 2023–24 he joined the Metropolitan Opera production of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, portrayed Hollis in Two Corners with Finger Lakes Opera, and played Scarpia in Opera Wilmington’s Tosca. Past highlights include his New York Philharmonic debut as soloist in Handel’s Messiah, his role as soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and his 2018 debuts at Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In 2019, as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, he performed with Gianandrea Noseda and singer-songwriter Ben Folds. Conyers has participated in the training programs of Wolf Trap Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Des Moines Metro Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. He received his bachelor of music and postgraduate certificate from UNC School of the Arts and his master of music from Indiana University. He is currently on the voice faculty at the Eastman School of Music.  

American bass Kenneth Kellogg’s latest career highlights include his August 2023 Wagner debut as Fafner in Seattle Opera’s celebrated new production of Das  Rheingold. His recent season contracts include Colline in La bohème, in concert with Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera; Il Re in Aida; in concert at Detroit Opera, and the Duke of Verona in Roméo et Juliette for Opera San Jose. He also joined the cast of Intelligence at Houston Grand Opera, debuted in the title role in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X at Seattle Opera, revived Fafner at Calgary Opera, and made his debut in the role of Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor and as Logger in Bulrusher—both new productions—with Bay Area companies. A noteworthy accomplishment in the last three seasons is his creation of the role of the Father in Blue, named the best new opera of 2020 by the Music Critics Association of North America. Past milestones include his appearance as Méphistophélès in Faust at Opéra de Lausanne in a return engagement following his success as Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte for the company. At Ópera de Oviedo, Spain, he appeared as Count Sam Horn in Un ballo in maschera; he was Zuniga in Carmen at PORTopera; and he portrayed Young Emile in Champion for Opera Parallèle in its West Coast premiere.  

Born and raised in Washington, DC, Kellogg began his formal musical training at the Duke Ellington School of the Performing and Visual Arts as a vocal and visual arts student. He holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Ohio University, and he continued his studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts and at Wolf Trap Opera. The artist is an alumnus of the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera and the Domingo-Cafritz Emerging Artist Program at Washington National Opera. 

American tenor Chauncey Packer hails from southern Alabama. He debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in the 2019–20 season in the roles of Sportin’ Life, Robbins, and Crab Man in Porgy and Bess. Most recently, in 2023–24, he returned to the Met as Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking and as Spinner in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, performed as Alfredo in La traviata at Knoxville Opera, portrayed Roldofo in Opera Memphis’s La bohème, and joined the South Florida Symphony Orchestra and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah. In 2022–23 his roles included Bardolfo in Falstaff and Luis Rodrigo Griffith in Champion at the Met, Spinner at Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Scalia in Scalia/Ginsberg at Chautauqua Opera. He also made his role debut as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel at New Orleans Opera and brought his celebrated Sportin’ Life to Germany’s NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. In 2025 Packer revisits the role of Sportin’ Life once again, making his Washington National Opera debut in Porgy and Bess. 

A versatile performer, Packer honed his craft in theater and musical theater productions including Baby, The Wizard of Oz, Big River, and Schoolhouse Rock Live! Noteworthy roles include singing and dancing as Nathan Detroit in Charlottesville Opera’s Guys and Dolls, portraying Cavaradossi in Tosca and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly for the Soo Theatre, and performing in the Louvre Museum in provocative choreographer-director Robyn Orlin’s Babysitting Petit Louis. He has appeared as a soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Colour of Music Festival and in concerts with the Saint-Georges International Music Festival and the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, among many others. Packer received his bachelor’s degree from University of Mobile and pursued postgraduate studies at University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University.

Based in Milan, Italy, US-born soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams recently debuted at Santa Fe Opera as the Foreign Princess in Rusalka and joined the cast of Un ballo in maschera at the Metropolitan Opera. Other noteworthy engagements include her great success as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde at Seattle Opera, a role she reprised at Paris Opera, and her performance in the title role in Aida at Cincinnati Opera and subsequently at Theater Bielefeld. She made a house debut at Theater an der Wien as Serena in Porgy and Bess, a role she sang at Milan’s La Scala and at Seattle Opera and which she recently recorded with NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester in Hamburg. Past career highlights include her role debut at Opera Vlaanderen as Elisabeth in Don Carlos, her debut with Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in seven performances of Verdi’s Requiem under the baton of Zubin Mehta, and her appearance as soprano soloist in Tippett’s oratorio A Child of Our Time, conducted by Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla at Festival St. Denis. At Lyric Opera of Chicago she prepared for a house and role debut as Gutrune in Götterdämmerung in David Pountney’s production of the “Ring” cycle.  

Originally from Philadelphia, Williams is a graduate of Iowa’s Luther College, where she sang her first operatic role, the title role in Suor Angelica. Her long and successful career began at Seattle Opera’s young artist program, where she appeared on Seattle’s mainstage in the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. While living in Paris from 2002 to 2004, she became a member of the Centre de Formation Lyrique at the Opera National de Paris and won the Lyric Artist prize awarded every year by the Cercle Carpeaux.

American soprano Taylor J. White began her career in jazz and Mississippi blues, captivating audiences as a featured soloist at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals. Her resume includes performances in Hairspray with New Stage Theatre and in Avenue Q and The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Fondren Theatre Workshop in Jackson, Mississippi. Inspired by icons such as Leontyne Price, White transitioned to classical music, eventually becoming the principal soprano for OperaCréole. Among other roles, she has performed as Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Susanna in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and Nella in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. White holds a bachelor of arts in music from Xavier University of Louisiana, where she received the St. Cecilia Music Award, and a master of music in vocal performance from Loyola University New Orleans, where she received recognition as Outstanding Graduate Vocal Student of 2022 and grants from the Charles Anthony Caruso Professorship of Opera and the Frohnmayer Legacy Fund. In 2022 she participated in the International Performing Arts Institute in Bavaria, and upon her return to the US, she was a featured soloist in the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s Classical Christmas concert. She made her Mobile Opera debut as Jo in Bruce Adolphe’s Let Freedom Sing: The Story of Marian Anderson. White is dedicated to championing living composers, particularly those of African descent. She premiered the role of Rose in a workshop of Roger Dickerson’s musical, Preacher Man! Preacher Man! During the pandemic, she collaborated with Maria Thompson Corley to create To Meditate in His Temple, a song cycle based on Biblical texts. Committed to sharing the cultural and historical narratives of her people, White continues to explore and highlight works by composers of African descent, blending her eclectic musical background into her artistry. 

Jonathan Woody is a versatile and dynamic musician who maintains an active schedule as a performer and composer in New York and across North America. Woody is in demand as a bass-baritone soloist, appearing regularly with historically informed orchestras including Boston Early Music Festival, Apollo’s Fire, Pacific MusicWorks, Bach Collegium San Diego, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, and New York Baroque Incorporated. In the 2021–22 season, he served as artistic advisor for the Portland Baroque Orchestra, curating a program of seventeenth-century German music for voices and orchestra. An accomplished chamber musician, Woody often performs as a member of the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, where he has earned praise from the New York Times for his “charismatic” and “riveting” solos. He has also recently performed in collaboration with Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, Les Délices, Seraphic Fire, Byron Schenkman and Friends, and Tenet Vocal Artists. As a sought-after new music proponent, Woody has participated in premiere performances of several leading composers’ works, including Ted Hearne’s The Source (2014), Ellen Reid’s Prism (2019 Pulitzer Prize winner), Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves (NYC premiere, 2018), and Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone (2017 Pulitzer Prize winner).

In recent seasons, Woody has appeared at the Staunton Music, Portland Bach, Carmel Bach, and Oregon Bach Festivals, the American Bach Soloists Academy, and at the Aldeburgh Festival. He has also been seen on the operatic stages of Opera Lafayette, American Opera Projects, and Beth Morrison Projects. He is committed to racial equity in the field of the performing arts and currently serves on Early Music America’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Task Force. Presently living on traditional Lenape lands now known as Brooklyn, New York, he holds degrees from McGill University and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Jari C. Honora, a Certified Genealogist®, works as Family Historian at the Williams Research Center of the Historic New Orleans Collection. He is a native New Orleanian and graduate of St. Augustine High School and Tulane University. He also does historical and genealogical research professionally, including previous research for the TV programs “Finding Your Roots,” “We’ll Meet Again,” and the Georgetown Memory Project. He is a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists and board member of the Louisiana Historical Society and Genealogical Research Society of New Orleans.