My Name is Florence
World Premiere
Subscription Dates:
Saturday, January 31 at 7:30pm
Thursday, February 5 at 7:30pm
Saturday, February 7 at 7:30pm
Sunday, February 8 at 2pm
A Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Production
MUSIC BY B.E. BOYKIN
LIBRETTO HARRISON DAVID RIVERS
Who was Florence Price, beyond the music? Prolific American composer Florence Price made history as the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major U.S. orchestra. In this world premiere from MN Opera’s New Works Initiative, My Name is Florence was inspired by writings and correspondence unearthed in the backyard of her family home. This chamber opera composed by B.E. Boykin to a libretto by Harrison David Rivers presents vignettes from Price’s life that bring into focus the impact of family, legacy, and the transformative power of a seat in front of the piano. With warmth and humor, My Name is Florence explores the complexities of identity, generational connection, and ultimately the power of music to transform. It is a celebration of Price’s enduring legacy in music and a reclamation of the space she occupies within the American musical canon.
Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage.
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
View MoreComposer Biography
Learn MoreB.E. Boykin
B.E. (Brittney Elizabeth) Boykin is a native of Alexandria, Virginia and comes from a musical family. At the age of 7, she began piano lessons and continued her studies…
Librettist Biography
Read MoreHarrison David Rivers
Harrison David Rivers is an award-winning playwright, librettist and screenwriter based in St. Paul, Minnesota. His plays include THE BANDAGED PLACE (Playwrights’ Center, Roundabout)…
SYNOPSIS
READ MOREPART 1
Little Rock, Arkansas, 1900 – Florence “Beatrice” Price practices the piano under the watchful eye of her mother – who is also named Florence. Later, Beatrice’s father distracts her from her lessons with a game of “what could you not live without?”…
HOW WE GOT HERE
WATCH NOWA Closer Look At My Name Is Florence
Go behind the scenes with New Works Initiative cohort members B.E. Boykin and Harrison David Rivers as they discuss the inspiration and process that led to their opera My Name is Florence, which will be premiered during MN Opera’s 2025-2026 season.