Saturday, April 17, 2010

Randye Jones Surveys Attitudes on Casting Restriction for Opera 'Porgy and Bess'


[Richard C. Alston is “Jasbo Brown” in the New Jersey State Opera production of Porgy and Bess on May 21 and 23, 2010]

Soprano and music researcher Randye Jones hosts an Internet radio station, Afrocentric Voices, which can be heard at: http://www.live365.com/stations/vulcanlyre She tells us of a survey on Porgy and Bess:

“Greetings!
With the approach of the 75th anniversary of the premiere of the opera, Porgy and Bess, I'm researching the changing opinions of singers, teachers, opera directors, etc., on the opera's controversial subject matter and the impact of the proviso placed by the Gershwin family restricting assignment of singing roles to African Americans--which will likely be in place until the opera enters the public domain in 2030.

“I invite you to participate in a survey regarding current thoughts on the portrayal of African Americans in Porgy and Bess and likely impact when the restrictions on singing role assignments are lifted. I’d like to get a wide range of responses from a multitude of perspectives, so please feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you believe would have an interest.
The survey is available online at:

“It will be open until Monday, May 24th. Its length depends entirely on the responses, especially the amount of commentary respondents add. However, the survey doesn’t need to be completed in one sitting as long as the respondent accesses it from the same computer. Thank you so much for considering this request. Randye Jones”

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