SHE WHO DARED

MUSIC BY: Jasmine Arielle Barnes
LIBRETTO BY: Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton

The DiMenna Center for Classical Music
450 West 37th Street
New York, NY 10018

Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but she wasn’t the first to refuse to move. She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950’s leading to the momentous court case of Browder v. Gayle. The highly melodic score liberally references musical idioms of the time, including soul, gospel, and protest music. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, She Who Dared demonstrates how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare.

Experience the fully scored work as the opera heads towards its WORLD PREMIERE in June 2025!

Claudette Colvin: Chabrelle Williams
Mary Louise Smith: Lindsey Reynolds
Rosa Parks: Jacqueline Echols McCarley
Susie “Mama Sue” MacDonald : Adrienne Danrich
Aurelia Browder: Maya Davis
Jo Ann Robinson: Jazmine Olwalia
Jeanetta Reese: Cierra Byrd

Conductor: Kelly Kuo