After dispute, Tulsa Opera shelves commissioned piece for Race Massacre centennial concert

TULSA — Tulsa Opera will not present one of the original pieces it commissioned for its Tulsa Race Massacre centennial concert after a dispute with the composer over the wording of the aria.

Titled "Greenwood Overcomes," the May 1 concert at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center was designed to showcase works by living Black composers sung by leading Black performers as part of the citywide commemoration spearheaded by the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, the concert’s co-producer.

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The Tulsa Race Massacre was one of the worst episodes of racial violence in U.S. history. Between May 31 and June 1, 1921, mobs of white residents attacked, set aflame and devastated the Greenwood District, which was at that time one of the wealthiest Black communities in the United States, earning it the name "Black Wall Street." Although the deadly tragedy was covered up for decades and omitted from history books even in Oklahoma, a wide-ranging commemoration is planned in Tulsa for the centennial.

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To "honor the resilience of Black Tulsans and Black America," the opera company commissioned four new pieces from contemporary Black composers. 

But Brooklyn, New York-based composer, musician and educator Daniel Bernard Roumain posted on social media last week that Tulsa Opera had fired him after a dispute over the words to the aria he penned for the event, a recounting of the 1921 tragedy titled "They Still Want to Kill Us."

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"Tulsa Opera just DE-commissioned me. I was invited to compose a work for them. They offered $1,500.00 to create a new work for piano and voice — including any words I wanted to use," Roumain posted on Facebook. "I wrote the music and words. The last two lines are, 'God Bless America. God Damn America.' (Tulsa Opera Artistic Director) Tobias Picker suggested I omit the word 'Damn.' I refused, explaining that is how I felt about this county. So, they fired me."

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In a Tulsa Opera statement, the concert's co-curators — Picker and Metropolitan Opera pianist and Assistant Conductor Howard Watkins — said that mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, who was to sing Roumain's piece, objected to the wording of the aria. 

Wording debate

All four commissioned composers were asked to write a piece for a specific singer and their voice type, according to Tulsa Opera. Roumain was tapped to compose a piece to be performed by Graves, who has sung at President George W. Bush's second inauguration; the September 2001 memorial service for victims of 9/11; and in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg while the late Supreme Court justice was lying in state at the U.S. Capitol.

“As a Black woman I am a huge supporter of all Black Lives, Black expression, and creativity. I don’t have trouble with strong lyrics, but I felt that they did not line up with my personal values. I could not find an honest place to express the lyrics as they were presented," Graves said in a statement issued by Tulsa Opera. 

According to Tulsa Opera's statement, Roumain was informed that since Graves was not comfortable performing his piece as written and he was "unwilling to work to find a compromise," his piece would no longer be part of the concert program. 

The concert's pianist as well as co-curator, Watkins said in a subsequent statement that Graves made some text suggestions for the piece but Roumain chose to write his own lyrics. 

"Ms. Graves’ objection was not solely to the word ‘damn,’ but to the phrase the word is in, cursing the country. When Mr. Roumain indicated he was inflexible over making changes for the person for whom he was creating the work, the decision was made to remove the piece," Watkins said in the statement.

Artistic expression

For his part, Roumain posted on social media that "Tulsa Opera just threw me under the bus and drove over me, twice — all over ONE WORD."

He added on Twitter, "As a Black human being, I ask: who owns the BIPOC (Black, indigenous and people of color) narrative to our bodies, blood, histories, and stories? I say we do."

In follow-up statements, the concert's co-curators categorized the dispute as artistic differences rather than a race issue. 

“It is extremely disappointing that Mr. Roumain has turned an artistic disagreement into a racial debate," Picker said in a statement. "Tulsa Opera, the concert co-curator Howard Watkins, Denyce Graves and all of the other 22 Black composers and eight Black artists, as well as our concert co-presenter, the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission, are committed to the spirit of the ‘Greenwood Overcomes’ concert. We are proud to have commissioned four new works and to present eight world premieres. However, we also respect Ms. Graves’ decision not to perform the piece written for her.”

Tulsa Opera spokeswoman Kelli Bruer confirmed to The Oklahoman that Roumain would be paid his $1,500 fee, but that the company would not be performing the aria. Since Roumain still owns it, she said, he is free to have it performed elsewhere.

What's next? 

Roumain launched last week the website www.theystillwanttokillus.com, which includes the lyrics, the first page of sheet music and a description of the piece as a "work of social justice and global change." 

"The audacity and hypocrisy to ask God to bless America is not lost on me or many of my friends. God Damn America has its place," Roumain wrote on the site, where people can buy the sheet music or sign up to partner with the composer in presenting the work as a pocket opera and short film.

The Haitian-American composer told The Oklahoman he thought the best next step would be for him and Tulsa Opera to reconcile. 

"I think that there should always be opportunity to meet one another on common ground and find truth in reconciliation and repair. We can both learn from one another and lead by example in our field. If they truly believe in the words, 'God Bless America,' then their actions should now move them towards reconciling our differences, understanding our experiences, and wanting to respect and love one another. THAT is the very best end to this story," he said in a statement to The Oklahoman. 

He said he plans to attend the May 1 concert "to support my friends on that stage and new friends in the community."

"Greenwood Overcomes" is slated to feature world-premiere works by Haitian composer David Bontemps; Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis; composer and pianist Stewart Goodyear; and Florence Price Award-winning composer Nkeiru Okoye.

Along wtih Graves, performers include Grammy-winning Oklahoma soprano Leona Mitchell, Leah Hawkins, Taylor Raven, Issachah Savage, Noah Stewart, Kevin Thompson and Davóne Tines.

Audience size will be limited due to COVID-19 restrictions. For more information, go to tulsaopera.com/greenwood-overcomes.