Singer, dancer, and actress, Josephine Baker, the beloved artist of Roaring Twenties Paris, was much more than that. There was also her love for France, where, as a Black woman, she found a form of liberation, her involvement in the Resistance, and her fight for civil rights.

To mark the 120th anniversary of her birth, the Paris Opera opens its season with a tribute to her in a production directed by Peter Sellars. ” Black Pearl” reveals the inner world hidden behind the radiant smile of Josephine Baker, who was inducted into the Panthéon in 2021.

Tyshawn Sorey’s jazzy score, conducted on stage by the musicians of the International Contemporary Ensemble, underscores the exemplary and inspiring struggle of this artist who embraced stereotypes in order to challenge them and ultimately find freedom within an imposed identity.

Event Categories: Opera