BUY TICKETS
Mon, February 3, 2025 ● 7:30pm Tues, February 4, 2025 ● 7:30pm
- BUY ONLINE. Click a button above to be directed to jazz.org. Additional fees apply.
- BUY BY PHONE. 212-721-6500. Additional fees apply.
- BUY IN PERSON. Jazz at Lincoln Center box office (Broadway at 60th Street)
RUNNING TIME
90 minutes, no intermission. Immediately following each performance, there will be a 30-minute conversation featuring selected exonerees depicted in the opera, artists, and experts. Conversations are free to ticketholders for the respective date.
CREATIVE TEAM
Composer | Scott Davenport Richards
Librettist | David Cote
Based on the book Blind Injustice by Mark Godsey and casework by the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law
Director and Dramaturg | Robin Guarino
Music Director and Conductor | Ted Sperling
ABOUT THE SHOW
This inspiring new 90-minute opera follows the Ohio Innocence Project’s efforts to overturn the convictions of six men, women, and teens who were wrongly imprisoned for violent crimes they didn’t commit:
- Nancy Smith, a school bus driver convicted of molesting children at the height of the “nursery school hysteria” sweeping the nation. Imprisoned for 15 years.
- The “East Cleveland 3”, teenage boys convicted of murder, identified solely by their gender and race. Imprisoned for 19 years.
- Clarence Elkins, convicted of the murder and rape of his mother-in-law and his niece, based on vague testimony by a traumatized child. Imprisoned for six years. The actual perpetrator ultimately confessed.
- Rickey Jackson, convicted of murder and robbery based on the coerced testimony of a child who, after Jackson was imprisoned for 39 years and sent to Death Row, played a key role in his release.
Featuring an operatic score infused with jazz, gospel, funk, and hip-hop, and a libretto drawn substantially from the exonerees’ own words, this timely and riveting production asks “What makes a person strong enough to endure injustice? What makes a person free?”
Blind Injustice makes its New York premiere following a world premiere at Cincinnati Opera and a subsequent production at PEAK Performances at Montclair State University with the involvement of MasterVoices.
- “A masterpiece.” – CityBeat
- “Vivid and immediate. A powerful critique of the criminal justice system.” – The Wall Street Journal
- “Deeply moving and profound.” – Cincinnati Business Courier
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Phillip Bullock (Derrick Wheatt) This season, baritone Phillip Bullock returns to Virginia Opera where he showcases his talent for new music in the role of Theoliver “Jake” Jeter Loving vs. Virginia in Damien Jeter’s world premiere. Other recent highlights include Zodzetrick in Treemonisha at Cincinnati Opera where he also sang the roles of Cato and Watchman in Gregory Spears new critically acclaimed opera, Castor and Patience, voted the Best New Opera of 2022 by The New York Times. He premiered Diane White-Clayton’s Many Mansions with Boston Landmarks Orchestra, and he joined American Opera Projects for Composers and the Voice: Six Scenes as well as appearing in Long Beach Opera’s The Romance of the Rose, written by Pulitzer nominee Kate Soper and directed by James Darrah.
Thomas Capobianco (Clarence Elkins) Young American tenor Thomas Capobianco is quickly growing a reputation as a singer who offers tremendous artistry in difficult repertoire. Hailed as making a “vivid impression through a combination of physical energy and ringing voice. ” Thomas joined the Metropolitan Opera as a full time Plan Artist in the 2022/23 season and will continue as a full time Plan Artist in the 2024/25 season. Thomas made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in the 21/22 season singing the Young Servent in Elektra, conducted by Donald Runnicles, as well as the Officer in Ariadne auf Naxos
Joshua Dennis (Defense Attorney) Known for his “voluptuous, elegant tone,” and “robust, baritonal heft,” American lyric tenor Joshua Dennis has made his mark in a variety of repertoire across the globe. Mr. Dennis, a champion of new works, has had the honor of originating many roles including Marc in the Santa Fe Opera’s world Premiere production of M. Butterfly, Ground Control in Washington National Opera’s world premiere of Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s Grounded, and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere The Fix, to name a few. Last season, Mr. Dennis sang the role of Léonard in Nadia Boulanger’s world premiere orchestration of La Ville Morte, a co-production with the Greek National Opera and Catapult Opera performed in Athens, Greece and for the U.S. premiere in New York. This season, he joins Opera Opera Parallèle to sing Dan White in Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie’s Harvey Milk.
Eric Shane Heatley (Rickey Jackson), baritone, professor, and administrator based in Cincinnati, OH, returns to the inspiring role of Rickey Jackson. From his participation in the 2017 Blind Injustice workshop through its 2019 world premiere, Eric brings deep connection and understanding to this transformative story. His repertoire spans contemporary American opera and works amplifying diverse voices, including performances as Jake in Porgy and Bess at both the Glimmerglass Festival and a touring production with the South Florida Symphony. He most recently created the role of Hollis in the workshop premiere of Two Corners at Cincinnati Opera. As both performer and educator, Eric continues his commitment to bringing powerful new works to the stage while shaping the next generation.
Briana Hunter (Derrick’s Mother/Ensemble) has been hailed by Opera News as “a mesmerizing mezzo-soprano with a fiery theatrical presence and dynamic vocalism.” In the 2024-25 season, Hunter returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Inez in Il trovatore. She will also join the New World Symphony as the soloist in Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, sing the role of Mercédès in Carmen with the Detroit Symphony, appear as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Phoenix Symphony, and join Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Zoe in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House. Other recent highlights include her Los Angeles Opera debut as Katie Ellen in Omar; her return to Washington National Opera as the Mother in Blue, a role she has also performed with Seattle Opera and Pittsburgh Opera; her Carnegie Hall debut singing Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater with The Orchestra Now; and the title role of Carmen with Opera Orlando.
Marc Kudisch (Earl Mann/Ensemble)has been seen on and off Broadway, Modern Opera, Television and Film for the past 36 years, recently completing a costarring turn in GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY on Broadway. He has been nominated for the Tony Award three times, as Trevor Graydon in THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, Baron Bomburst in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and Franklin Hart in 9 TO 5, and is a Drama Desk Award winner for his work Off-Broadway in THE WAYSIDE MOTOR INN at The Signature Theatre. Opera credits include Carl Magnus in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC for NYCOpera/LA Opera, The Pirate King in PIRATES OF PENZANCE for NYCOpera, Henry Kissinger in A NEW PRINCE for Dutch National Opera, Joshua Crouch in ANATOMY THEATER for Prototype Festival/ LA Opera, The Older Man in TRADE for Prototype Festival/LA Opera, and Morris in ADORATION for Protoype Festival. TV/Film credits include Dr Gus on BILLIONS (Showtime), Ty Rathbone on THE TICK (Amazon), Billy Kastner on LATE NIGHT (Amazon), Roger Wade on MINDHUNTER (Netflix).
Reilly Nelson (Nancy Smith) Hailed as “a revelation” by Opera News, soprano Reilly Nelson brings her “distinctly warm and burnished” sound to stages across North America and Europe. Her performances reflect a deep commitment to artistry and compelling dramatic sensibility. A versatile performer from Northern Ontario, Canada, Reilly has made a significant mark in the contemporary music scene through her extensive work with Toronto’s acclaimed new music ensemble The Happenstancers. Her genuine approach to music-making has made her a respected presence on both the operatic and concert stage. Notable roles include Nancy Smith in Blind Injustice and Gianna in Tenor Overboard at The Glimmerglass Festival. Her performances have graced stages at Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, the Reno Philharmonic, and the Tiroler Festspiele Erl. In Fall 2024, she made her Canadian début as Annio in La clemenza di Tito at Pacific Opera Victoria. A winner of the 2018 Lotte Lenya Competition and current Jeunes Ambassadeur Lyrique, she has trained at prestigious programs including The Glimmerglass Festival and Tanglewood Music Center. Reilly is thrilled to reprise her role as Nancy Smith at Jazz at Lincoln Center with MasterVoices.
Victoria Okafor (Alesha) Victoria is excited to be making her Lincoln Center debut with MasterVoices. Victoria has sung all over the country with companies like Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Birmingham, and Cincinnati Opera. Role highlights include Despina in Così fan tutte, Wilhelmina in Castor And Patience and Laura in The Hours. Premiering at the Met in 2023 with Kelli O’Hara in the role of Laura, Victoria covered O’Hara in Philadelphia for the concert version in 2022. In 2021 Victoria placed second in the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition. Victoria is a HUGE classic film fan and you can find her on Instagram for her song series “Songs From Old Movie Musicals that are Stuck In My Head.” Theater credits: Nehebka (Elton John’s Aida, UFOMT), Strawberry Seller (Oliver!, UFOMT), Janelle (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Carnegie). Upcoming: Kate Mullins (Titanic, Marriott Theatre). Instagram @victoria__okafor (2 underscores)
Joseph Parrish (Earl Mann’s Cellmate/Edward Vernon/Ensemble), winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions, is a Baltimore native with degrees from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and The Juilliard School. He recently participated in the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Program and debuted with Cincinnati Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni. Joseph also made his Kennedy Center debut in a performance co-presented by Washington Performing Arts with the Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir, which he will reprise at Merkin Hall in New York. His operatic roles include Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Augure in L’Orfeo, Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, and Le Baron de Pictordu in Cendrillon. Joseph has served as a Music Advancement Program chorus fellow, Gluck Community Service Fellow, Morse Teaching Artist, and was part of the inaugural cohort of Shared Voices, a program promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion through collaborations with Historically Black Colleges and top conservatories in the US.
Christian Pursell (Prosecutor) Bass-baritone Christian Pursell is the 4th Prize Winner and “Best Baritone” at the 61st Tenor Viñas International Vocal Competition in Barcelona, Spain (January 2024), and the 2nd Prize Winner at the 1st International Tebaldo-Gigli-Corelli Lyric Competition in Pesaro, Italy (March 2024). Pursell specializes in a wide range of music from baroque to bel canto and 21st c. modern, with credits in major opera houses worldwide. Opera News states, “Whatever he sings, Pursell’s diction is a model of clarity, and his intriguingly dark voice is beautifully projected.” His 2024/2025 season adds new roles to his repertoire: Leporello in Don Giovanni (Cincinnati Opera) Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Virginia Opera), Noah in The Grapes of Wrath (MasterVoices [Carnegie Hall debut]), and Taddeo in L’Italiana in Algeria (Hawaii Opera Theater). Pursell travels in his vintage Airstream trailer with his young son, and brings classical music to new audiences through his fursona Chester The Geroo.
Orson Van Gay II (Laurese Glover) has captivated audiences in classical and contemporary opera and concert performances with his charisma and “fine heroic tenor” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Van Gay’s recent operatic roles have included Danilo in The Merry Widow, for which he earned Pocket Opera’s inaugural Hurst Artist of the Year Award in 2022; Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice; the title role of Candide with Angels Vocal Art; Orlando in The Industry’s acclaimed site-specific production of Hopscotch; and both The Athlete in I Can’t Breathe and Rodolfo in La Bohème with Pacific Opera Project. A frequent performer with Long Beach Opera, Van Gay recently performed the role of Raymond Santana in Anthony Davis’ The Central Park Five, a role Van Gay premiered with the same company in 2019. In November of 2023, Van Gay released his first solo album, Colors of a Lyric.
Miles Wilson-Toliver (Eugene Johnson). Hello! I’m Miles, a bass baritone with a passion for storytelling through music. Honored to be GRAMMY-considered for my original role in Blind Injustice, I strive to create meaningful connections through my performances. As a dedicated voice pedagogue and choral communalist, I focus on nurturing vocal talent and empowering others to find their unique voices. I am also committed to advocating for the arts in partnership with marginalized communities, believing that everyone deserves to be heard and celebrated. I am currently a Master of Divinity candidate at Yale University. Join me on this artistic journey as we explore the transformative power of music together!
Scott Davenport Richards (Composer) has recently completed commissions for the Public Theater: The Rumble of Myth (with Marcus Gardley), and the Signature Theatre in Virginia: The Break (with Michele Lowe). The New York City Opera has performed two Richards works as a part of its Vox Festival of new opera: A Star Across the Ocean—Paris 1965 featuring Chuck Cooper, and Charlie Crosses the Nation, An Opera in Jazz Idiom. He was commissioned by Paulette Haupt, artistic director of the O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theater Conference, to compose A Thousand Words Come to Mind (with Michele Lowe) for the inaugural set of her Inner Voices one-person musical monologue series. Other musical theater works include music for Coyote Goes Salmon Fishing (written with Deborah Brevoort, directed by Molly Smith at Perseverance Theatre/produced by Stuart Ostrow in Houston), and the original score for A Christmas Story The Musical at Kansas City Rep. His play-scores have been heard at resident theaters around the country including the Yale Rep, Alliance, Center Stage, Madison Rep, Powerhouse, and New Federal. He has received a number of commissions for works for children. Mr. Davenport taught on the faculty of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program from 1997 to 2009 and currently holds a position as professor of Composition/Musical Theatre at Montclair State University’s Cali School of Music, where he has taught since 2005. He holds an MFA from New York University Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and a BA from Yale University.
David Cote (Librettist) is a playwright, opera librettist, and arts journalist based in New York City. This season includes Lucidity with composer Laura Kaminsky, co-commissioned by On Site Opera and Seattle Opera. Previous operas in addition to Blind Injustice include Three Way (Nashville Opera and BAM); The Scarlet Ibis (Prototype Festival); and 600 Square Feet (Cleveland Opera Theater). Cote’s plays include The Müch, Saint Joe, and Otherland (O’Neill National Playwrights Conference finalist). He wrote the text for Nkeiru Okoye’s Black Lives Matter monodrama for baritone and orchestra, Invitation to a Die-In. His Cocoa Cantata is a modern-day sequel to Bach’s Coffee Cantata, composed by Robert Paterson. Recordings include Blind Injustice (NAXOS), Three Way (American Modern Recordings), and In Real Life (AMR). Cote’s TV and theater coverage appears in The A.V. Club, Observer, 4 Columns, and American Theatre. He was the longest-serving theater editor and chief drama critic of Time Out New York. Cote is the author of popular companion books about the Broadway hits Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Spring Awakening, Jersey Boys, and Wicked. His writing has also appeared in Opera News, the Village Voice, the Guardian, and the New York Times. Cote is currently working on a grand opera about the artistry and activism of Paul Robeson with Scott Davenport Richards and Robin Guarino, and a monodrama with Stefan Weisman for mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn about climate change and Greenland’s ice sheet.
Mark Godsey (Source Material) is the Carmichael Professor of Law and director of the Ohio Innocence Project at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. A former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Godsey co-founded and now directs one of the most successful innocence projects in the country, which to date has secured the freedom of 42 wrongfully convicted Ohioans. The Ohio Innocence Project is a law clinic at the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Fueled by the idealism and energy of law students, OIP investigates the cases of Ohio’s incarcerated who claim they are innocent and were wrongfully convicted. The OIP is one of the most active and successful innocence projects in the country and to date has secured the freedom of 42 innocent Ohioans who together served more than 900 years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.
Robin Guarino (Director/Dramaturg) has directed opera, musical theater, film, and over 60 new productions, including over seven world premieres. A frequent collaborator at Lincoln Center, she has directed HD productions at the Metropolitan Opera of Così fan tutte and Der Rosenkavalier, and fully staged operas at Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall. Guarino has directed celebrated productions at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Next Wave Festival, San Francisco Opera (HD of Le nozze di Figaro), Seattle Opera, Canadian Opera Company, among many others, and such distinguished young artist training programs such as the San Francisco Merola and Adler Programs, among others. Her film Crossing the Atlantik was featured on Independent Focus on PBS. She recently directed critically acclaimed new productions of Dialogues of the Carmelites and Madame Butterfly at Opera Theatre of St. Louis; a double bill, War Stories, for the Philadelphia Opera Festival; The Rake’s Progress for the San Francisco Opera Merola Program; As One for Cincinnati Opera; and the world premiere of Blind Injustice for Cincinnati Opera. She held the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music from 2008 to 2020 and before that was the dramatic co-advisor of the Juilliard Opera Theater from 2004 to 2008. Guarino has a strong commitment to developing new works and supporting the work of living composers and librettists and continues that passion as artistic director of Opera Fusion: New Works, a collaboration with Cincinnati Opera, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, that has developed the following new operas and world premieres for major companies across the United States: Intimate Apparel, The Hours, Eurydice, Hadrian, Doubt, Champion, Robeson Opera, and Lincoln in the Bardo. Guarino is a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council and the Lotte Lenya Competition.
Ted Sperling (Music Director and Conductor) is a classically trained musician whose career has spanned from the concert hall and the opera house to the Broadway stage. Presently Artistic Director of MasterVoices, he has led such symphony orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Boston Pops, San Diego Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, the Iceland Symphony, Czech National Symphony, and BBC Concert Orchestra, as well as New York City Opera and Houston Grand Opera. Formerly Principal Conductor of the Westchester Philharmonic, he is a multi-faceted artist also known for his work as orchestrator, singer, pianist, violinist, violist, director, and music director. He has symphonic engagements in the U.S. and Europe and continues to teach at NYU, conducting three different orchestras and training the next generation of Broadway musicians and conductors. Sperling has conducted multiple concerts for PBS’s Live From Lincoln Center, the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center, and the Lyrics and Lyricists series at the 92nd Street Y. He conducted Audra McDonald in a double bill of La Voix Humaine and the world premiere of Send: Who Are You? I Love You? at the Houston Grand Opera. He won the 2005 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for his orchestrations of Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza, for which he was also Music Director. In addition to his directing work with MasterVoices, Mr. Sperling’s work as a stage director includes the world premieres of four critically acclaimed original musicals Off-Broadway—including The Other Josh Cohen and See What I Wanna See—and a noted production of Lady in the Dark at the Prince Theater in Philadelphia, starring Andrea Marcovicci. He graduated summa cum laude from Yale University, and received the Faculty Prize at The Juilliard School. He made his Broadway stage debut as Wallace Hartley in Titanic and appeared as Steve Allen in the finale of Season Two of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”