CHAPEL HILL, NC – Omar, an opera based on Omar ibn Said’s life, will have its North Carolina premiere on Feb. 25 and 26.
The opera comes from Grammy award-winning musician and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Rhiannon Giddens, who is also Carolina Performing Arts Artist-in Residence. Giddens was asked to write the opera, but she knew nothing about him or his story.
The show explores the life of Omar and uses his story as a vessel to share the stories of thousands of other enslaved Muslims.
Carolina Performing Arts is hosting several events leading up to the performances and three “Up Close and Personal” sessions with Omar’s materials in Wilson Library.
Performances are happening this weekend, Feb. 25 and 26, in Memorial Hall at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale from $39-$69. However, UNC students with a valid one card can get tickets for $10.
All event and ticket information can be found at https://carolinaperformingarts.org/events/omar/.