The Song Poet
March 9–26, 2023
MUSIC BY JOCELYN HAGEN
LIBRETTO BY KAO KALIA YANG
A father’s love, a family’s journey.
The first Hmong story adapted for the operatic stage, St. Paul writer Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir The Song Poet comes to life in this world premiere. It tells the story of Yang’s family and her song poet father as war drives them from the mountains of Laos into a Thai refugee camp and ultimately on to the challenging world of life as a refugee. With his poetry, Kalia’s father inspires hope in his family, polishing their reality so that they might shine.
Sung in English and Hmong with English and Hmong captions projected above the stage.
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Thu Mar 9 7:30 Sat Mar 11 7:30 Sun Mar 12 2:00 Tue Mar 14 7:30 Thu Mar 16 7:30 Sat Mar 18 7:30 Sun Mar 19 2:00 Tue Mar 21 7:30 Thu Mar 23 7:30 Sun Mar 26 2:00Location
Luminary Arts Center
700 North First Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
The Song Poet is brought to you by a collaboration between Minnesota Opera and Theater Mu.
Cast & Creative Team
Learn MoreSynopsis
Read MoreAct One
Bee has run away once again into the beloved mountains that surround his village after the death of a friend by gunfire. War planes zoom overhead. He climbs the tallest tree he can find …
Composer Biography
Learn MoreJocelyn Hagen is a pioneer in the field of composition, pushing the expectations of musicians and audiences with large-scale multimedia works, electro-acoustic music, dance…
MN Opera Chorus
Learn MoreGet to know members of the Minnesota Opera Chorus who you’ll see in our upcoming production of The Song Poet.
Director's Notes
Read MoreTo begin, Kao Kalia Yang is a brilliant writer and I feel fortunate to be the stage director for the world premiere of this opera based upon her book The Song Poet…
Meet the Artists
Read MoreWe are excited to have Museop Kim and Corissa Bussian join us as Bee Yang and Chue Moua (Bee’s wife) in this production…