Approaching Ali
Opera by D. J. Sparr
LibrettistMark Campbell and Davis Miller
Based onThe Tao of Muhammad Ali
by Davis Miller
Premiere
June 8, 2013 (2013-06-08)
Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.

Approaching Ali is an opera by composer D. J. Sparr and librettists Mark Campbell and Davis Miller. The inspiration for the opera comes from Miller's story "My Dinner With Ali" and his book The Tao of Muhammad Ali that related the friendship of the writer with the boxer Muhammad Ali.[1][2]

Approaching Ali: A Chamber Opera in One Act had its world premiere at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2013, under the directorship of Nicole A. Watson. The opera was commissioned by Washington National Opera.[3] In 2015, the opera was staged by North Carolina Opera.[4] In 2023, the opera was staged by both Opera Las Vegas and Opera Louisiane.

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, June 8, 2013
Conductor: Steven Jarvi
Davis Miller baritone David Kravitz
Muhammad Ali bass Soloman Howard
Odessa Clay soprano Aundi Moore
Young Davis boy soprano Ethan McKelvain
Roy Miller tenor Tim Augustin
Sara Miller mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin

Synopsis

The story is about a boy in North Carolina in the early 1960s who is galvanized to overcome some traumatic childhood events when he sees Muhammad Ali on television. More than twenty years later, as a writer on the brink of middle age, he now seeks to rekindle that spirit by visiting his boyhood hero in person at his mother's home in Louisville, Kentucky.

References

  1. ↑ Schweitzer, Vivien (June 10, 2013). "New Ring For Legend Of Boxing: Opera Stage". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 12, 2019. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ Neal, Dale (November 27, 2015). "Asheville man writes of relationship with Ali". Asheville Citizen-Times. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ Anne Midgette (June 7, 2013). "Approaching Ali, the second stage of WNO's effort to foster new American opera". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  4. ↑ Vitiello, Chris (January 28, 2015). "With Approaching Ali, the story of how the boxer inspired a struggling writer, the North Carolina Opera fights above its weight class". The Independent Weekly. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 27, 2019.


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