An  Intense  and  Delightful  Omar  Was  Terrific,
with a Moving Story and Breathtaking Visuals

Carolina Performing Arts presented the North Carolina premiere of Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels'
opera, Omar, Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25th and 26th, in UNC's Memorial Hall (photo © Leigh Webber)

Did he just blink? A massive portrait of Omar ibn Said (1770-1864) on the stage greeted Carolina Performing Arts' audience for Omar as they entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall Saturday, Feb. 25th. As Omar stares resolutely at you and you try to find your seat, you are immediately drawn to inspect every line of his deeply weathered face, and then you think, did he just blink?

Maybe he did, as it is through Omar's writings (digitally available through the Library of Congress, with the originals briefly in Chapel Hill during this production) that Omar rises from the past to tell us about his life as a slave -- from his capture, sale, flight, and arrival at a plantation in Fayetteville, NC.

Omar was also a scholar who could read and write at a time when most slaves could not. A devoted son, brother, and follower of Allah, Omar is among the many hundreds of thousands of Africans forced into slavery. What makes this story so compelling is that it comes directly from the mouth of Omar himself.

Created by acclaimed Greensboro, NC-born Carolina Chocolate Drops lead singer and banjo and fiddle player Rhiannon Giddens and co-composer Michael Abels, the opera's story starts in the present.

Actor Jamez McCorkle walks onstage from the audience wearing today's uniform -- cargo shorts, tee shirt, and tennis shoes. As McCorkle changes into traditional Muslim attire -- a Senegalese kaftan and kufi cap -- he quietly becomes Omar ibn Said. This small act of changing from street clothes to traditional dress is an acknowledgement that even today, history continues to impact African-Americans directly. This story is their story, a painful part of their collective history as a people.

Thus, the story begins.

We are immediately transported to Senegal in West Africa in the early 1800's. We see Omar as a wealthy man, with status and education, captured during war and sent by slave ship to Charleston, SC. As the captives sing of their homeland, their families, their loss, Omar wonders aloud why Allah has forsaken him. Stripped of everything, one of captives despairs, with a desperate, "Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?" Who are you, indeed, when you have stripped of your homeland, your family, your clothes, and your God?

Rhiannon Giddens is the co-composer and librettist for Omar (photo courtesy Rhiannon Giddens)

The visuals created through the set and costuming are visually breathtaking. The thin veils and sheaths are inscribed and projected with Arabic writing that glide across the set. We seem to be watching a fever dream, a long-ago memory that still affects us in the modern world. Indeed, in one interesting part of the show, while the slaves find solace in dance, images of modern dances, such as breakdancing, square dancing, and swing, are projected onto the veils.

There is so much good here. We were glad to see an opera focusing on Black history, lives, and themes. The North Carolina Opera's symphony orchestra was terrific, the story moving, and the set ethereal magic. The voices of the cast and choir were powerful and clear. At one point, some of the cast came into the audience to sing; and we could feel the reverberations in our guts. It was intense and delightful.

If we have any criticism of this new opera, it would be that the storytelling was a touch slow for our taste. In addition, since the opera focused mostly on Omar's devotion to Allah and his prayers, we left wishing that we knew more about his personal life story and his day-to-day life. What of his childhood, his family, his children?

The brushstrokes of the opera are very broad. Thankfully, we learned that Omar's writings have been translated and published by UNC Press in a book entitled I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Said's America by Mbaye Lo and Carl W. Ernst.

In the end, this opera -- conducted by John Kennedy and directed by Kaneza Schaal -- has inspired us to learn more about Omar post-show, so that is a win any way you look at it. Or listen to it.

Chicks' Tips: Parking for UNC-Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall is notoriously difficult, so we were pleased to discover that you can get a spot reserved just for you at several parking lots nearby through the ParkMobile Parking App. It made getting to and from the show a breeze.

Twice Emmy Award-nominated composer Michael Abels co-composed the score for Omar

Southern Futures at CPA artist-in-residence Rhiannon Giddens and composer Michael Abels' opera, OMAR (In Person Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25th and 26th), conducted by John Kennedy and directed by Kaneza Schaal (Carolina Performing Arts in Memorial Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://dpb-web.instantencore.com/program/42507/page/49236?cid=5110084. TEASER: https://www.facebook.com/2261242/videos/736503321310396. CBS SUNDAY MORNING FEATURE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZ0L8qbhea0&t=28s. THE PRESENTER: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/, https://www.facebook.com/CarolinaPerformingArtsUNC, https://www.instagram.com/carolinaperformingarts, https://twitter.com/UNCPerformArts, and https://www.youtube.com/user/UNCPerformArts. 2022-23 SEASON: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/current-season/. CPA BLOG: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/blog/. THE VENUE: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/venues/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/parking/. CPA COVID REQUIREMENTS: https://carolinaperformingarts.org/health-and-safety/. RHIANNON GIDDENS (music and lyrics): https://www.rhiannongiddens.com/, https://carolinaperformingarts.org/artists/rhiannon-giddens/, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2871962/, https://www.facebook.com/RhiannonGiddensMusic/, https://www.instagram.com/rhiannongiddens/, https://twitter.com/RhiannonGiddens, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhiannon_Giddens, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTQvn1-6IhiMo994ivalgmA. MICHAEL ABELS (music): https://michaelabels.com/, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8752173/, https://www.instagram.com/_michaelabels/, https://twitter.com/michaelabels/a>, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Abels. INFORMATION: 919-843-3333 or carolinaperformingarts@unc.edu. PLEASE DONATE TO: Carolina Performing Arts. [RUN HAS CONCLUDED.]

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