a true story

San Francisco Opera presents a poignant and compelling true-story opera by Grammy winner Rhiannon Gidden and Michael Abels, directed by Kaneza Schaal. Based on the autobiography of Omar Ibn Said, the only surviving slave narrative written in Arabic from the era, Omar tells the story of how the Muslim scholar was ripped from his peaceful life in West Africa and sold into slavery in South Carolina in 1807.

Evocatively blending elements of traditional opera with West African melodies, Omar stars Jamez McCorkle and is set in the hinterland of memory and imagination, presenting the characters he encountered on his journey and the solace of his faith in the face of his stolen life.