As a supporter of LGBTQ interests, I’m proud to report the inclusion of a small video from my concert opera Purchase of Manhattan in a recent HUFF POST article by author Kim Dramer!

Entitled “Gay New Amsterdam: The Queer Case of Harmen van den Bogaert,” Dramer outlines how homosexuality was punishable by death for the Dutch settlers, leading a pair of men to flee from the colonies to the Indians who welcomed them. But the Dutch, in pursuit of the two men, burned down an Indian storehouse, prompting the Indians to seek reparations from the Dutch authorities. The article’s an interesting read, and filled with historical detail, including a reference to the so-called “Purchase of Manhattan,” featuring a small video from the concert opera!

I wanted to mention too, that Dramer has written about the Mohicans previously in her article “Celebrating July 4th in NYC: Remembering the Stockbridge Indian Massacre in Van Cortlandt Park,” featured in the Untapped Cities “Arts & Entertainment” section. The article covers the story of Stockbridge Mohicans fighting for the American Revolution in what is now the Bronx.

Thank you Kim Dramer for your including the Purchase of Manhattan opera in your article, and for championing the Stockbridge Mohicans in your work!

Hear the complete opera "Purchase of Manhattan" on WCNY-FM radio at 2pm EST, this Sunday, November 22, 2015! The program Fresh Ink will air the opera in it's entirety, as it was premiered in Manhattan in November of the previous year. 

To hear the opera online, go to the radio stream: CLASSIC FM
(and click the "Classic FM" icon at the bottom of the page)

TUNE IN THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT 2 PM (EST)

​The premiere took place exactly a year ago on Nov. 20th, 2014 at Marble Collegiate Church in NYC, which was the original “company church of the Dutch West Indies Company” and remains the oldest surviving institution in New York, dating back to 1628. The Lenape Center commissioned the opera from Brent Michael Davids, whose tribe originally lived on Manahatta, to set history straight and de-bunk the "purchase" myth.
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450 years ago, Hendrik Hudson sailed into the harbor of the Muhheconnituck, the river that now bears his/Hudson’s name.  388 years ago, in 1626, a brief mention of a so-called “purchase” of Manahatta was delivered by ship in a sailor’s letter. So begins the written history of the island, a place populated by Lenapes, Mohicans, Munsees and other indigenous inhabitants for perhaps 13,000 years before Hudson.

'Manhattan' comes from the Munsee description of the ‘place where we get bows’, in reference to the hickory trees on the south end of the island used to make them.  Soon the island became 'New Netherland,' 'New Amsterdam' and 'New York,' following the path of supposed owner-ship transfer. During this time, a Lenape diaspora began as the longtime resident citizenry was systematically driven out. The cultural swap was so complete that even the original meaning of the island has been lost to most modern Manhattan dwellers.

Alexandra Loutsion sings the Spirit-of-the-Land, baritone Stephen Powell is a Lenape, and tenor John Bellemer, who is Wampanoag, sings the part of Dir. General Minuit, plus Native American Singers, an opera chorus representing the Lenape people and Dutch sailors, and chamber orchestra, all under the expert hands of conductor Sara Jobin. 

The Scenes are:

MANHATTAN: Spirit-of-the-Land introduces Manhattan island before first contact.

THE INDIANS: Lenapes sing of life in Manhattan and the importance of Wampum.

THE DUTCH: Dir. General Minuit and the Dutch sing of exploration.

THE PURCHASE: The Lenape and Dutch meet on Manhattan island.

THE AFTER- WARD: A century-long reflection on the founding of New York is recounted. 

WIPING OF TEARS: A present-day Lenape “Wiping of Tears” condolence ceremony.

Our own Sara Jobin, masterful conductor of the Purchase of Manhattan, is featured in March-April 2015 issue of Harvard Magazine! Congratulations Sara! Written by Stephanie Garlock with photos by Jane Feldman, the article "Orchestrating Opera's Emotions" describes Sara's early fascination with opera and the stirring power of the voice. The conclusion of the article also mentions our Manhattan performance of the Purchase of Manhattan, an amazing evening that Sara expertly conducted:

One of her favorite moments comes near the beginning, as Peter Minuit, the tenor, arrives on the island singing a waltz, gleeful about the land’s potential value. Below him in the duet, the steady, drum-like Lenape baritone sings about his love for the land’s maternal bounty. As Jobin conducted, she felt the power of opera to help “access emotions that there aren’t necessarily words for. That story is so deep, you can’t even articulate it.” Even without words, opera, and the music of emotion, let you try [Harvard Magazine].

On November 19, 2014, James Barron wrote a wonderful article on the new concert opera Purchase of Manhattan for the New York Times: "The Sale of Manhattan, Retold from a Native American Viewpoint." As Lenape Center's Executive Director Joe Baker put it, "This opera in many ways is our homecoming ... [we] are retelling the early beginnings of New York City." Well, what most readers may not know, as revealed to us behind the scenes, is that this particular entry was the "eighth most read NY Times article" for the entire year, internationally! 

For those couple of days, the news about Manhattan's origins fanned out across the planet, carrying with it our indigenous perspective and a recognition of some new music! The performance was epic, a brilliant combination of performers who brought the hall to their feet with cheers at the conclusion. During the intensity of the performance, the rustle of a single cough drop wrapper could have carried across from one end to another—listeners were enraptured. 

The concert opera premiere becomes one of the highlights of my musical and nonmusical life, and many thanks go to all the Purchase of Manhattan supporters, on the stage and behind it. It's such a proud moment for me, and I especially thank the Lenape Center for entrusting to me, as a composer, a story of such importance. Thanks to Joe Baker, Hadrien Coumans and Curtis Zunigha of the Lenape Center! I remain honored!

Several days after the November 20th premiere, the Purchase of Manhattan still reverberates within Indian Country. Check out this latest review from Indian Country Today, "Purchase of Manhattan: Opera Tells History of Lenape and Dutch" including a couple clips from the concert opera! 

"...The concert opera shows the differences between how the Indians and the Dutch saw the land. 'My mother’s bones rest in this mound,' sings Stephen Powell, the baritone who represented the Lenape people. 'I see handsome profits from this ground!' sings John Bellemer, Wampanoag, the tenor who plays Minuit...

'What did we bring to purchase this island?' Minuit asks. 'Many strings of beads, which they greatly prize. They sweat to make the beads, but we make them so easily,' replies the Dutch chorus. 'Sixty guilders worth of trinkets,' suggests Minuit. The opera makes it clear that the Indians thought the Dutch were offering their friendship, and that they had no idea what Minuit was trying to get them to sign, or why?..." (Leann Root, ICT, Nov 26, 2014)

Read the full review HERE!

"...The truly extraordinary singing of the evening came from a personified Spirit of the Land, an earth-mother figure, performed by Alexandra Loutsion. She filled the enormous room with gorgeous earth-mother sound, so deep and resonant that I thought her a contralto, then high (though the role is not writtenvery high), flowering without a break or a seam... 

Not only is the voice beautifully colored and deeply moving, her words were so clear one did not need to consult the libretto, her consonants lashed with anger or molten with emotion...

Two small choruses, including members of eight Indian tribes, contributed a less European-sounding, more folk-ways, puzzled but peaceable crowd of Lenapes and eight greedy, hymn-singing Dutchmen, whose scrappy energy enlivened things considerably. The small orchestra, rather wind-heavy and string-light, was led with graceful enthusiasm by Sara John, and featured the plaintive, breathy sound of a native flute played by the purple-coated composer himself.

Davids’ music is what one might describe as tonal with benefits—the choral songs, in particular, reminded me of Benjamin Britten’s operas. Twisting harp and marimba, oboe and flute effects mimicked the birdsong of this forested scene and the breezes ruffling the trees (“valuable timber!” think the Dutch), twining into layers of not-quite-traditional string melodies..." (John Yohalem. Parterre Box; he’ll take manhattan. Nov 23, 2014).

READ MORE HERE!

James Barron has written a great article in today's New York Times! Here's a sample but please check out the entire article! Tickets are still on sale for this one night only world premiere!

"...Mr. Bellemer said that idea came through clearly. 'The baritone' — Stephen Powell, in the role of a Lenape — 'is singing these beautiful lines about hearing the music and the leaves and his mother’s bones being in the ground,' Mr. Bellemer said. 'The juxtaposition is brilliant. It’s the beginning of how these communications between these two peoples are passing ships in the night. They just don’t get each other at all...' (New York Times, Nov 19, 2014; p. A23).

The new concert opera Purchase of Manhattan made the Huffington Post  yesterday! 

"...While some dispute the exact price, a new opera entitled "Purchase of Manhattan" explores this little-known history, hitting the stage for one night on November 20 at New York's Marble Collegiate Church... 

Joe Baker, co-founder and Executive Director of the Lenape Center, said he recognized an important role the opera could play in promoting and perpetuating Lenape culture through the arts. 

'I feel so strongly that the appropriate platform for the telling of this complicated and at times conflicted history [of the Lenape people] is the arts,' Baker told HuffPost. 'When we had the opportunity to work with Brent Michael Davids to create an original work that spoke to this moment in history [...] we felt that we were fulfilling our mission'..." 

Read more HERE!