Nearly
20 years ago, From the Diary of Sally Hemings premiered at the Library
of Congress in Washington, DC. The solo opera was composed by William Bolcom of the University of Michigan with libretto (text) by now-retired
Central Michigan University professor of English, Sandra Seaton. The opera is a fictional
account of the thoughts and feelings of Sally Hemings, the enslaved women owned
by Thomas Jefferson and mother to six children fathered by Jefferson. As Seaton
said at the time of the premiere, in the spring of 2001, “I wanted to give
Hemings a voice and bring her to life. I wanted her to be more than a slave or
a sexual role.” In 2001, Professor Seaton joined an audience that included
descendants of Hemings and Jefferson at the Library of Congress for the
premiere, which was covered in both the Centralight
magazine and the CM
Life student newspaper.
Mezzo-soprano Florence
Quivar (left), Sandra Seaton (center), and William Bolcom (right) at the
Library of Congress Premiere of From the Diary of Sally Hemings
Sandra Seaton (back,
center) with descendants of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson
Sandra Seaton (front row,
fourth from the right) with descendants of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson
Now,
the opera is again in the spotlight. The piece was scheduled to be part of the
line-up of the 2020 Glimmerglass
Festival, an opera festival held in upstate New York. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, live performances of the selected operas were cancelled. But
that didn’t mean that show wouldn’t go on—the General Director of the festival,
Francesca Zambello, decided to create videos of all of the operas to be
performed. Professor Seaton’s work was performed and recorded at Merkin Hall
at Lincoln Center in New York City. And now, that recording can be seen by
anyone with a connection to the internet. Enjoy the 47-minute video on the Glimmerglass Festival
YouTube page.
Scene from Glimmerglass
Festival performance of From the Diary of Sally Hemings
