Simon Estes and Carmen Balthrop Starred in Scott Joplin's 'Treemonisha' at Wolf Trap in July 1972

[From TOP: Carmen A. Balthrop, Louise Parker & Simon Estes]

The Scott Joplin (1868-1917) page at AfriClassical.com explains the opera Treemonisha was completed in 1910 but was first staged in January, 1972 in a concert performance orchestrated by T. J. Anderson. It was staged in Atlanta, Georgia by the Afro-American Music Workshop of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw, conductor. The Wolf Trap Company staged a production in July, 1972:

"WolfTrapOpera.org

WTC 1972: Treemonisha

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha was composed in 1910 but didn’t receive its first production until January 1972 (in Atlanta, GA), shortly after the piano/vocal score was rediscovered. In July of that same year, Treemonisha came to the Filene Center, in an orchestration by William Bolcom.

Guest artists included Simon Estes (as Ned), and the Wolf Trap Company filled out the cast and chorus. Soprano Carmen Balthrop – now a cornerstore of the DC-area opera scene and a professor at the University of Maryland – was among the young artist hopefuls in the cast."