

Harriet's Spirit

Inspired by the life of American abolitionist and humanitarian Harriet Tubman, Harriet’s Spirit is a new opera based on the story of a middle school girl who triumphs over the challenges of adolescence with the help of the Civil War-era legend as her role model and spirit guide.
Performances
- November 13, 2021 – 1pm & 4pm
- November 14, 2021 – 1pm
Venue
EnhanceYour Experience
Music
Books
Children & Family Resources
The Breathtaking Courage of Harriet Tubman
https://youtu.be/1DdtJKwh8oY
Anti-Defamation League Resources:
- 10 Ways to Respond to Bullying
- Words That Heal: Using Children’s Literature to Address Bullying
- Taking a Stand: A Student’s Guide to Stopping Name-Calling and Bullying
- Ten Things Students Wish Teachers Knew about Name-Calling and Bullying
- 6 Ways to be an Ally
- What Bullying Is and Is Not – Table Talk parent/family discussion guide
Films

Harriet - 2019

A Woman called Moses - 1978
Cast & Creatives
Cast

Tiffany Austin
Harriet Tubman - Soprano
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Tiffany has performed with jazz luminaries (including pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Rodney Whitaker, and vibraphonist Roy Ayers), and continues to appear at illustrious engagements including the San Francisco and Oakland Symphonies, Birdland NYC, Dizzy’s NYC, SFJAZZ, and Walt Disney Music Hall in Los Angeles. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law, Austin decided to forgo a career as a lawyer to focus on music, her true passion, and she’s been raising the bar ever since.

Christabel Nunoo
Modesty - Soprano
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Bradley Kynard
Montgomery - Bariton
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San Francisco Girls Chorus
Say Nothing & Bully Chorus
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Composer, Librettist & Musicians

Marcus Shelby
Composer
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Roma Olvera
Librettist
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Harriet's Spirit Instrumental Ensemble
Artistic + Production

L. Peter Callender
Director
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Nicole Paiement
Conductor
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Conductor, Nicole Paiement is the Founder and General & Artistic Director of Opera Parallèle (OP). Recently for OP, Paiement conducted Glass’ La Belle et la Bête and Everest: An Immersive Experience by Talbot, a work she originally premiered on stage at The Dallas Opera, where she is Principal Guest Conductor. An active guest conductor, Paiement has performed with companies including the Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and The Atlanta Opera. In 2020 Paiement made her debut with L’Opéra de Montréal with Benjamin’s Written on Skin, returning in 2023 to conduct Golijov’s Ainadamar. This season Paiement also made her UK debut with the English National Opera conducting Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life, and conducted a series of concerts with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo, Italy. Upcoming engagements include a return to London to conduct Talbot’s Everest with the BBC Symphony at the Barbican Center. The 2023/2024 season will include 2 world premieres with OP, a return to The Dallas Opera, followed by a debut with the Volksoper Vienna conducting both a symphonic concert and an opera by John Adams. Photo Credit: Cory Weaver

Jaymes Kirksey
Assistant Conductor
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Rachael Heiman
Set & Costume Designer
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Kevin Myrick
Lighting Designer
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Supporters
Major institutional and corporate support for Opera Parallèle has been provided by Adobe, Horizons Foundation, The Lemala Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, City & County of San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and The Shenson Foundation.
The Bullhorn: Amplifying Unheard Voices received funding from a Civic Practice Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Fund.