The soprano Minette was one of the great stars of theatrical life in colonial Saint-Domingue in the 1780s. But unlike almost all the actors and actresses of the time, she was a woman of African descent. The title of Marie Chauvet’s novel about her, Dance on the Volcano, aptly suggests the tensions swirling around this contemporary of artist Guillaume Lethière and composer Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George.

Soprano Ariana Wehr joins musicians of Opera Lafayette to present music from the operas of Gluck, Philidor, Gretry, and others (which Minette performed in the years leading up to the Haitian Revolution), as well as music from the Chevalier de Saint-George.

Free. For accessibility concerns, call 413 458 0524. This event has been moved into the auditorium, located in the Manton Research Center, out of a desire to provide our audience with the best acoustic experience of the Opera Lafayette's delicate period instruments.



Image courtesy of Mather Brown, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons