Terence Blanchard is the first black composer whose work was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. A conversation about jazz, his musical family and what the “Black Lives Matter” movement means to him.
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Thomas Fromm and Kathrin Werner
Terence Blanchard looks tired even though it’s only afternoon in New York. But yesterday evening it got late, after the performance of his opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” they celebrated a bit. The 59-year-old, who comes from New Orleans, is the first black composer whose work has made it onto the stage of the Metropolitan Opera – despite its 138-year history in the middle of a diverse city like New York. This is a breakthrough for Blanchard in several ways – after all, he’s actually a jazz musician.