Music by: Brittney B.E. Boykin
Libretto by: Jarrod Lee
Duration: 50 mins
Commissioned by: Finger Lakes Opera,
Premiere: Summer 2024, Finger Lakes Opera
Florine Boykin leads her childhood friend Sarah down memory lane through the
nostalgic power of a radio, examining and reviewing their friendship despite the racial tension surrounding them in the segregated and rural town of Wedowee, Alabama. Their bond is tested as they revisit memories and confront their shared past from their differing perspectives. Can their friendship survive their confronting mid-twentieth century racial disparities and unrest? Or was their friendship a figment of their imaginations?
FORCES
Singers:
Sarah - Soprano (identifies as white)
Ken/Hobart/John F. Kennedy - Tenor (identifies as white)
Florine - Soprano (identifies as white)
Hollis – Baritone (identifies as black)
Julia - Mezzo (identifies as black)
Winnie - Soprano (identifies as white)
Radio announcer/TV Anchor/Store Clerk - Tenor (identifies as white)
Young Sarah - (Silent role) age 10
Baby Girl/Young Florine - (Silent role) age 10, daughter of Florine and Hollis / age 10, daughter ofJulia
Baby Boy - (silent): age 13, son of Florine and Hollis
Orchestration:
TBD
Project Statement
Two Corners, composed by B.E. Boykin with libretto by Jarrod Lee, explores the evolving friendship of a Black woman, Florine, and a white woman, Sarah, during the unrest of the Civil Rights movement. Told through a series of flashbacks, Florine and Sarah reflect on their different perspectives of race, friendship, and the status quo.
MEDIA
