Roots and Resonance: An Operatic Love Letter to Baltimore
February 14, 2026 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture
Opera Baltimore, in partnership with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture and the Jewish Museum of Maryland, presents Roots and Resonance: An Operatic Love Letter to Baltimore. This daylong program launches Voices in Solidarity: Baltimore’s Black and Jewish Operatic History, a place-based initiative that examines the deeply intertwined histories of the city’s Black and Jewish communities through music, scholarship, and public conversation.
Designed as both a learning experience and a performance event, Roots and Resonance brings opera into direct dialogue with history, archives, and place. The program unfolds inside the Lewis Museum, grounding music-making in the cultural institutions that preserve Baltimore’s collective memory.
Event Overview
The day begins with a moderated panel featuring scholars, archivists, and artists examining shared histories through music, material culture, and historical context. Drawing from artifacts in the Lewis Museum’s collection, the panel explores themes of tradition, support, tension, and solidarity across Baltimore’s Black and Jewish communities.
Following a catered lunch and guided tour of the museum, the afternoon concludes with Tapestry: Heart & Soul, a recital curated and performed by Baltimore-born baritone Daniel Rich. The program features opera, spirituals, and new works by Baltimore composers, tracing artistic lineage, civic identity, and personal history through sound.
Event Schedule
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Location: Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture 830 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
11:00 AM–12:30 PM | Moderated panel
12:30–2:00 PM | Catered lunch and guided museum tour
2:00–3:30 PM | Tapestry: Heart & Soul recital
Featured artists
Daniel Rich, baritone
Baltimore-born baritone Daniel Rich is an acclaimed performer whose career spans leading opera houses and concert stages. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Rich brings his personal and artistic history into conversation with Baltimore’s cultural landscape in Tapestry: Heart & Soul.
JoyAnne Amani, Pianist
Stay tuned for more details.
Vincent Stringer, poet and vocalist
Vincent Stringer is a poet, singer, and visual artist whose interdisciplinary work explores Black identity, memory, and place. His contributions to Tapestry: Heart & Soul add a poetic voice to the musical narrative of the program.
Program Highlights
Music and poetry by:
Langston Hughes • Paul Laurence Dunbar • Maya Angelou • H. Leslie Adams • Will Liverman • William Grant Still • Duke Ellington • Charlie Smalls • Jasmine A. Barnes • Khyle B. Wooten • Brandon Waddles • Timothy Amukele • Colin Lett • Ramon B. Braxton
Tickets and Registration
Advance registration required
Tickets are hosted by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.
Register here:
https://lewismuseum.ticketing.veevartapp.com/groups/view/list/roots-and-resonance-an-operatic-love-letter-to-baltimore
About Voices in Solidarity
Voices in Solidarity: Baltimore’s Black and Jewish Operatic History is a multi-year, place-based initiative exploring how Black and Jewish communities in Baltimore shaped one another through music, migration, and cultural exchange. Programs include performances, conversations, and learning experiences presented in partnership with Baltimore’s leading cultural institutions.
Voices in Solidarity is generously supported by State funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.
About Opera Baltimore
Opera Baltimore is the city’s home for world-class opera, committed to compelling performances, community engagement, and educational initiatives that bring opera to audiences across Baltimore.
About the Reginald F. Lewis Museum
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture documents, interprets, and preserves the experiences, contributions, and culture of Black people in Maryland, serving as a catalyst for education, dialogue, and sustained change.