Opera on the avenue

Opera on the Avenue began as a bold partnership between Opera Baltimore and organizations rooted in West Baltimore, including the Arch Social Community Network, Enoch Pratt Free Library, No Boundaries Youth Organizers, the Black Arts District, and Shake & Bake Family Fun Center. Centered on connection, culture, and civic pride, the initiative used the unexpected lens of opera to celebrate the legacy of Old West Baltimore—especially its groundbreaking Black artists.

At the heart of the program was soprano and curator Adrienne Danrich’s “Baltimore Legends” exhibit, which spotlighted Anne Wiggins Brown (the original Bess in Porgy and Bess) alongside other musical trailblazers like Cab Calloway, Eubie Blake, Billie Holiday, and Blanche Calloway. This exhibit—produced in both digital and print formats—traveled to six Enoch Pratt Library branches across the city, each stop paired with a live public performance.

The project’s culminating event was an all-day block party on October 8, 2022, hosted outside the historic Arch Social Club just blocks from where Anne Wiggins Brown grew up, and at the intersection where protests began following Freddie Gray’s death. Live music, food vendors, children’s activities, and a premiere performance from Danrich brought together hundreds of neighbors in a celebration of legacy and hope.

Though the original grant funding has concluded, Opera Baltimore continues to deepen partnerships in West Baltimore. Opera on the Avenue was never a one-off event. It laid the groundwork for long-term collaboration, artist-driven storytelling, and place-based programming that centers Baltimoreans and their stories.

We remain committed to this work, and proud of the communities that made it possible.