After 136 Years, The Met will Finally Host an Opera by a Black Composer

(Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images for Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz)

Long overdue.

Terence Blanchard's heralded opera, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, is set to make its debut at The Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. Though it had plenty to choose from over the last century or so, the production will be the first-ever opera by a black composer to be hosted by The Met in the institution's 136-year history

According to The New York Times, the opera was directed by James Robinson (who's at the helm of The Met's current run of The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess) with a libretto written by Kasi Lemmons.The Times also notes Blanchard's production was feverishly pursued by Met general manager, Peter Gelb, following the show's June premiere at Opera Theater of St. Louis. In a phone interview with The Times, Gelb described Blanchard as "a brilliant composer."

The Met's premiere of Fire Shut Up in My Bones remains without a specific run date, but it is expected to make its debut in an upcoming season. Blanchard, a legendary jazz trumpeter and arranger, has won six Grammys over the last 30 years and has become a go-to for scores and soundtrack work in film. He earned his first Oscar nomination last year with the score to Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman.