In 1807, 37-year-old Fula Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said was captured and forced to leave his home in West Africa on a ship bound for Charleston, South Carolina, where he was sold into slavery. Making its New England premiere with Boston Lyric Opera, this record of Said’s remarkable life and Muslim faith reveals a refusal to be defined or erased by his captors. Through the shifting darkness of memories and imagination, Omar invites us to bear witness to one man’s journey in remaining true to himself, his people, and his faith – against all odds.
This collaboration between Rhiannon Giddens – a Grammy Award-winning musician and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius” Grant – and Michael Abels – the acclaimed composer of the Oscar-nominated film Get Out – infuses the conventional Western orchestra with the sounds and melodies of Americana, Arabic, and West African folk music to create this radiant narrative of strength, resilience and conviction.
Omar is inspired by Said’s 1831 autobiography – one of his fourteen Arabic manuscripts, and the only known surviving account of American slavery written in Arabic. Named one of the best classical performances of 2022 by The New York Times and awarded the 2023 Jury Award by the Society of Composers and Lyricists, Omar sheds light on a long-disregarded true story, lifting it to new heights with a richly orchestrated score and stirring performances that form an essential experience for any operagoer.
Omar is co-produced by Spoleto Festival USA and Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and co-commissioned by LA Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, Carolina Performing Arts, Boston Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Omar is inspired by Dr. Ala Alryyes’s translation of Omar Ibn Said’s autobiography in his book A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said.