Detroit Opera Brings Groundbreaking Black Stories to the Stage with Highways and Valleys

Highway 1, USA, composed by the “dean of African American composers” William Grant Still, was first seen at LA Opera in 2024. Set in the kitchen of a modest house attached to a gas station, the story focuses on Bob and Mary, who run the filling station and support Bob’s younger brother, Nate. This love story celebrates the Black experience in an engaging musical voice, portraying how African American culture is central to the sound of America’s national identity. Still, who works broke racial barriers, was one of 13 charter initiates of the Delta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at Wilberforce University. (Production photo)

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	Detroit Opera House Brings Groundbreaking Black Stories to the Stage with Highways and Valleys Simon Weinstein - Media Matters/Entertainment Tell Us Detroit News DETROIT - Detroit Opera unveils a powerful double bill, Highways and Valleys, spotlighting American stories of love, justice, and resilience through rarely performed folk operas. This all-Black cast production blends the groundbreaking works of William Grant Still and Kurt Weill, celebrating Black cultural heritage and Detroit's labor roots. Highway 1, USA, composed by William Grant Still—the "Dean of African American Composers" who broke racial barriers as the first Black conductor of a major U.S. orchestra—unfolds in a gas station kitchen. The intimate story follows siblings Bob and Mary as they support Bob’s younger brother Nate amid a heartfelt romance, weaving blues, spirituals, and jazz into the fabric of America’s musical soul. First seen at LA Opera in 2024, the opera highlights how Black experiences shape the nation’s identity. Kurt Weill's Down in the Valley is a one-act folk opera framed by the story of Brack, a teenage boy in a Birmingham jail facing execution for defending his beloved Jennie from an attacker. Costume designer Charlese Antoinette (Judas and the Black Messiah) makes her Detroit Opera debut with denim and workwear costumes that honor Detroit’s labor legacy. This will be a world premiere staging for Detroit Opera. The production features several returning artists, including stage director Kaneza Schaal (Blue), soprano Nicole Heaston (Rinaldo), mezzo-soprano Rehanna Thelwell (The Cunning Little Vixen), tenor Victor Ryan Robertson, bass-baritone Davóne Tines (X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X), and baritone Babatunde Akinboboye (The Central Park Five). Music Director Roberto Kalb will conduct, with artist and author Christopher Myers making his Detroit Opera debut as production designer. Baritone Lawrence Mitchell-Matthews, a native Detroiter, will make his Detroit Opera debut as Sheriff (in Highway 1, USA) and Preacher (in Down in the Valley). Tickets are available at the Detroit Opera Box Office (1526 Broadway Street), by phone at 313.237.7464, or online at www.detroitopera.org. Detroit residents can purchase $25 tickets using the promo code DETROIT at https://cart.detroitopera.org/highways-and-valleys/?promo=detroit.