Numinous The Music of Joseph C. Phillips Jr. |
About The Operas of 1619 CYCLE
The 1619 cycle is a collection of six, one-to-two-and-a-half-hour operas by composer Joseph C Phillips Jr. The cycle, through live music performance, immersive film, dance, and innovative staging and lighting design, presents stories reflecting and illuminating several consistent themes throughout the history of the United States, reflecting the predacity of American life but also highlighting the human stories of joy, love, and resistance in the face of that oppression. Initially inspired by both the 2014 The Atlantic article “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates and by the 2019 New York Times The 1619 Project, the 1619 opera cycle is a unique project; one that broadens those first inspirations, beyond black and white, in order to reckon with historical nuance and context and as writer Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz expressed, “[h]ow might acknowledging the reality of US history work to transform society.”
Header 📸: by me!
Thanks and credit to all the original photos on this website to: David Andrako, Concrete Temple Theatre, Marcy Begian, Ed Lefkowicz, Donald Martinez, Kimberly McCollum, Geoff Ogle, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Daniel Wolf-courtesy of Roulette, Andrew Robertson, Viscena Photography, Jennifer Wohrle, Carolyn Wolf, Mark Elzey, Numinosito. The Numinous Changing Same album design artwork by DM Stith. The Numinous The Grey Land album design and artwork by Brock Lefferts. Contact for photo credit and information on specific images.