Lyric Opera 2023-2024 Issue 6 - Champion

A scene from Champion at Opera Theatre of St.Louis. Based on a true story, Champion unfolds in what composer Terence Blanchard calls “an opera in jazz.” Welterweight boxer Emile Griffith is tortured by the complex realities of his life: decades-long guilt from defeating a challenger in the ring, who died from Griffith’s blows; and desperately conflicted feelings regarding his own sexuality. James Robinson’s production arrives in Chicago with a remarkable cast. Joining Lyric favorites Reginald Smith, Jr., Whitney Morrison, and Paul Groves is Justin Austin, a brilliant new star who triumphed in Fire Shut Up in My Bones , with Music Director Enrique Mazzola leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Ken Howard - Opera Theatre of Saint Louis