I will be singing the role of Sam, Susannah’s brother in this two act opera by composer Carlisle Floyd. Written during the McCarthy era, Susannah is loosely based on the Apocryphal tale of “Susannah and the Elders.” The opera centers on a young and innocent woman of humble origins who is targeted as a sinner in a small mountain town of New Hope Valley in Tennessee. Floyd embraced folk music and Broadway influences—a vibrant and unexpected choice in the 1950s, when American serious composition was exclusively concerned with German expressionism.

Susannah was chosen to represent American music and culture at the World’s Fair at Brussels in 1958, with a production by Frank Corsaro. Today, Susannah is one of the most performed American operas, second to Porgy and Bess, and has come to symbolize the American voice in opera.