NORFOLK, Va. — Adam Turner, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor for Virginia Opera, and Jacqueline Echols McCarley, singing the role of Mary Jane Bowser, join Coast Live to discuss "Intelligence," an opera based on a true story set during the Civil War, about espionage and the fight for freedom in Virginia.
Here's a synopsis of the show, courtesy of Virginia Opera:
Intelligence
When the smoke clears, only truth is left standing.
Set in Richmond, VA, Intelligence is inspired by a gripping true story of espionage, sacrifice, and the fight for freedom. With the Civil War blazing, Elizabeth Van Lew, a socialite from a prominent Confederate family, is running a secret pro-Union spy network that feeds intelligence to the North. Working alongside her, Mary Jane Bowser, an enslaved woman who becomes a spy, infiltrates the heart of the Confederacy. With dramatic storytelling, a pulse-pounding score, and electrifying movement, Intelligence reveals how two brave women came together, risking everything for freedom.
Conceived by Jake Heggie, Gene Scheer, Jawole Zollar
Music by Jake Heggie, Libretto by Gene Scheer
Based upon historical facts pertaining to the underground Civil War spy network of Mary Jane Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew
This Opera was commissioned by the Houston Grand Opera
vaopera.org
"Intelligence" has two performances in Norfolk:
- Friday, January 30, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, February 1, 2:30 p.m.
For tickets and more information, visit vaopera.org.
Paid for by Virginia Opera.
