Photo: Marta Syrko

Dutch National Opera

Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine

Tyshawn Sorey (1980)

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Dates

9-13 Mar 2023

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

1:55, no interval

Tickets

From € 17

A life dedicated to freedom and dignity

She was an exceptionally popular artist, a civilrights activist as well as a heroine of the French resistance. And now, after a life of fighting for freedom, Josephine Baker has become the first Black woman to enter the Panthéon, a mausoleum in Paris built to honour France’s most revered figures. In Perle Noire, singer Julia Bullock explores the life and struggles of this icon from a present-day perspective.

This performance is part of Opera Forward Festival

Photo: director Peter Sellars and singer Julia Bullock | © Stephanie Berger

A life dedicated to freedom and dignity

In the theatrical song cycle Perle Noire, composer Tyshawn Sorey, director Peter Sellars and soprano Julia Bullock shine a light on the complex life behind the mask of an international superstar. They show a Joséphine filled with sadness, frustration, and the indefatigable desire to create a free and dignified life for herself and others.

Julia Bullock

In this staged song cycle, composer Tyshawn Sorey and director Peter Sellars break with the sumptuous and beguiling melodies that catapulted Baker to fame. Instead, Perle Noire is a gripping and layered interplay of song, poetry, instrumental interludes, improvisation, and elements of music from Joséphine’s native country, such as the Charleston.

Celebrated opera singer Julia Bullock – whose pristine delivery and undeniable stage presence in The Rake’s Progress, Girls of the Golden West and Michel van der Aa’s Upload have previously captivated audiences in Amsterdam – returns to Dutch National Opera for a project that is very close to her own heart.

Performance information

In English and French

Texts Claudia Rankine

Stage direction Peter Sellars
Movement coach Michael Schumacher
Costume design Carlos Soto
Lighting design James F. Ingalls
Audio Marc Urselli

Joséphine Baker Julia Bullock

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
Tyshawn Sorey, composition, piano and percussion
Jennifer Curtis, violin
Alice Teyssier, flute
Travis Laplante, saxophone
Rebekah Heller, bassoon
Daniel Lippel, electric guitar

Original production by Théatre du Châtelet (Parijs)

Change in box office opening hours

Please note our box office opening hours will change on March 1.

More information

Ticket prices

Check out the ticket prices per price category via the link below. Youths up to 35 can attend this performance for only € 20,00 (excluding booking fee), regardless of which price category is ordered.

Ticket prices

We offer discounts for specific groups in order to make our performances accessible to everyone. Check this page to see if you are eligible for a discount.

Price category	Standard	City Pass	OFF youth up to 35 \| CJP
1st	€ 30,00	€ 23,00	€ 20,00

Dutch National Opera & Ballet works with a system of dynamic pricing: during the booking period the ticket prices may increase, depending on demand. Prices exclude € 2,00 booking fee per ticket.

Tickets

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‘Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine is not
a personal portrait about Joséphine, but a tribute to her’

JULIA BULLOCK - SINGER

Joséphine Baker

In a cage, singing about her ‘home’ in Africa and dancing in a banana skirt, African American performer Joséphine Baker made her breakthrough in France in the 1920s. She soon became one of the most famous and best-paid artists in the world. Paradoxically enough, by making herself the exotic object of European fantasies, Baker was able to free herself from a prospectless and impoverished existence in her hometown of St. Louis. Her pursuit of independence and dignity was not limited to her own life, as she also played an important role in the French resistance during WWII as well as in the post-war civil rights movement in the US.

‘Joséphine Baker is an icon of liberty’

Opera singer Julia Bullock and director Peter Sellars on Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine.

Read the full article

International Contemporary Ensemble

The International Contemporary Ensemble is a collective of musicians, digital media artists, performing artists and other talented individuals. The collective transforms the way music is created and experienced, often by researching how music is absorbed by the different communities that make up our world. In doing so, they give expression to a diverse and wide range of musical genres and styles, from chamber and electroacoustic music to improvisations and multimedia compositions. In March 2023, the ensemble will providethe musical accompaniment to Perle Noire: Méditations for Joséphine.

Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine | Foto: Stephanie Berger

Introduction

Almost every performance at Dutch National Opera & Ballet is preceded by an introduction, with background information that can deepen your theatre visit. The introductions are in Dutch and admission is free by showing a valid ticket.

Introduction Perle Noir by: Naomi Teekens
Time: 45 minutes before the start of each performance
Location: 2nd balcony