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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. Peekskill High School students saw a modern opera performance Friday, courtesy of an area arts organization. The opera, Flight to Freedom: The Story of Margaret Garner, was composed in 2005 by Grammy award-winning composer Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison, a Nobel Laureate novelist.
The special condensed version performed Friday was presented by Cortlandt's Copland House, which created the performance for schools under Michael Boriskin, artistic and executive director.
The opera tells the story of fugitive slave Margaret Garner, which also served as the inspiration for Morrisons novel "Beloved," that was also adapted into a film. The opera has a strong historical component that made it a good choice for students, said Copland House spokesperson Elizabeth Dworkin.
"It's the same source material as the book," Dworkin said. "It was a case where a mother chose to murder her daughter rather than have her go back to slavery when she was captured after she escaped. There was a huge trial about whether she should be charged with murder or destruction of property because she was a slave."
Peekskill Council member Don Bennett served as narrator for the morning performance, which was roughly 30 minutes long. The performers then met with students in small groups for question and answer sessions.
Copland House itself was founded 15 years ago when the home of composer Aaron Copeland was to be put up for sale, said Trustee David R. Kornreich, who was a member of the audience.
The building now serves as a residency for American composers, where they can get away from everyday life and concentrate on composing their works, Kornreich said.
The house also has an ongoing chamber music ensemble and recruits young area performers such as the ones that performed Friday to take part in their local productions. Kornreich said Friday's show, which was performed at Hendrick Hudson High School last year, was a great experience for students.
"What's exciting for me is to see young people in the audience who have probably never heard anything quite like this before, and to get their reaction to both the content of it, which is a very dramatic story involving slavery and cruelty as well as some redemptive experiences, but also to hear music on this level from really great performers and an opera that is accessible it's not your florid Italian opera in a foreign language," Kornreich said.
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