Treemonisha
Subscriptions for the 2023 Festival Season are now on sale! Single tickets will be released for sale in October 2022.

Sometimes out of the deepest tragedy springs the greatest hope. Embark on a life-affirming journey of love and creativity in Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha, re-imagined with a new prologue and epilogue by composer Damien Sneed and librettist Karen Chilton. As Joplin celebrates his wedding to his new bride, Freddie Alexander, he is inspired to write a masterpiece — with Freddie as his muse. His heroine will be called Treemonisha, and she will lead her community into a bright and bountiful future of education, opportunity, and prosperity.
Although Treemonisha was published in 1911, Joplin never lived to see a fully realized stage production. However, the legacy of his artistry only continued to grow through his final years and following his death. In 1976, Joplin posthumously received the Pulitzer Prize for his contributions to American music. This new edition of Treemonisha celebrates the strength, beauty, and wisdom of Black women and brings back to light a forgotten figure of history — Freddie Alexander Joplin.
Event information
Venue
Loretto-Hilton Center
130 Edgar Road,
St. Louis, MO 63119
Language
Performed in English with projected English supertitles
Accompanied by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Cast & Creative Team

Damien Sneed
Composer of Expanded Edition

Karen Chilton
Librettist of Expanded Edition

George Manahan
Conductor

Charlotte Brathwaite
Stage Director

Justin Austin
Scott Joplin / Remus

Brandie Sutton
Freddie Alexander / Treemonisha

Tichina Vaughn
Monisha

Norman Garrett
Ned
Leadership support for Treemonisha comes from the Whitaker Foundation. The production received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Fund.