Composer debuts original queer opera at the Kennedy Center
Music has always been a part of Joy Redmond’s life. She began playing piano at 7 years old, and it took off from there. Now, Redmond, a composer and pianist, is making her Kennedy Center debut this month.
Redmond is part of the American Opera Initiative at the Kennedy Center, a program that commissions original one-act opera works. Her piece, which she co-created with librettist Sam Norman, will premiere on Jan. 19.
“Hairpiece” follows the story of a wigmaker, Esther. Redmond and Norman brainstormed the storyline together, and Norman wrote the story while Redmond composed. The other main characters, a man and a non-binary person, all come together, and clash, but also find common ground and get to know themselves on a deeper level. The opera explores what it means to feel comfortable in authentically expressing gender, and how that need to feel seen connects people.