Loyola Opera: Carlisle Floyd's Susannah

Loyola Opera Theatre’s annual January production this year celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of American composer Carlisle Floyd with his masterpiece, Susannah.

Floyd adapted the Apocryphal tale of Susannah and the Elders, setting the opera in the fictional town of New Hope Valley, Tennessee. In the Bible story, Susannah is exonerated from wrongdoing, but in the opera she is branded a sinner and becomes an outcast. The beautiful, uniquely American 1955 score is full of folk-like melodies that capture the spirit of Appalachia. It was also Floyd’s reaction to the judgmental McCarthy era and remains iconic and powerfully relevant today.

A pre-show panel discussion/Q & A will take place one hour before each performance. The panel will include: Christopher Ray, Executive Director of the Floyd Centennial Committee; NOCCA’s Phyllis Treigle, daughter of bass-baritone Norman Treigle - often credited with defining the role of the Reverend Olin Blitch; Brian Morgan, Treigle’s biographer; and Carol Rausch, head of Loyola Opera Theatre. 
 

Fri Jan 23 at 7:30pm in Roussel Hall (pre-show discussion at 6:30pm)

Sun Jan 25 at 3:00pm in Roussel Hall (pre-show discussion at 2:00pm)

Please be aware that details are subject to change. Check back for up-to-date info, or sign up for our mailing list!