Terence Blanchard, the Met’s First Black Composer, Sees Opera for More People
The multi-Grammy award-winning performer and creator says, “This is the highest form of musical theater that I've ever experienced.”
Terrence Blanchard performs in the Newport Jazz Festival 2013 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, R.I.
Photographer: Douglas Mason/Getty Images North AmericaKaren Toulon hosts the interview show Black in Focus on Bloomberg. Here, she speaks with Terence Blanchard, six-time Grammy award-winning trumpeter and composer for film and television. On Sept. 27, an opera he wrote based on Charles M. Blow’s memoir will debut at the Metropolitan Opera. Fire Shut Up in My Bones will be the first opera by a black composer to be performed on the Met stage. Below is their conversation, edited slightly for brevity and clarity.
Terence, good to see you.
Hey, thank you Karen. Thanks for having me. Good to see you, too.