Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine

Tracing her journey from the segregated United States to international stardom in Paris, soprano Julia Bullock embodies the legendary artist, activist and icon, Joséphine Baker, in this portrait of a woman who reshaped the stage and stood boldly against injustice.

Directed by acclaimed opera-maker Peter Sellars, the event weaves together opera, jazz, spirituals and the elegance and raunch of the early 20th-century French music hall into a powerfully emotional song cycle, with spoken interludes by the poet Claudia Rankine.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey reimagines Baker’s songs through a rich, expansive sound world, opening new dimensions of her story, resulting in an intimate and striking tribute, celebrating Baker's legacy with a new urgency and brilliance.