My Name is Florence

Who was Florence Price, beyond the music? 

Prolific American composer Florence Price made history as the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major U.S. orchestra. My Name is Florence, a world premiere from MN Opera’s New Works Initiative, was inspired by writings and correspondence unearthed in the backyard of her family home.  

Composed by B.E. Boykin to a libretto by Harrison David Rivers, the opera presents vignettes from Price’s life that bring into focus the impact of family, legacy, and the transformative power of a seat at the piano. With warmth and humor, My Name is Florence explores the complexities of identity, generational connection, and ultimately the power of music to transform. It is a celebration of Price’s enduring legacy in music and a reclamation of the space she occupies within the American musical canon.

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage. 

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Contains mature themes including racial discrimination and sexism. Recommended for ages 11 and older. 

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• As a child, Florence finds something she truly loves to do: play piano. She describes playing piano as “the feeling of walking barefoot in the grass.” What is something that you love to do? How would you describe how it feels?
• Florence’s mother believes that racism is so unchangeable that Florence would be more successful and respected by saying that she is Spanish instead of African American. Do you believe that similar issues exist today? Why or why not? 
• As an adult, Florence works incredibly hard to become a successful music composer. However, she is frequently ignored or dismissed, despite the quality of the music. In the face of these frustrations, she continues creating music, even if it receives no attention. In your life, what is something that you would continue to do, even if no one else saw value in it?  

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Many performance venues offer accessibility accommodations such as wheelchair seating, assistive listening, sensory ear plugs, ASL interpretation, open captioning, or audio description, among other options. These accommodations are specific to each event, and may not be available everywhere. When registering with us, please let us know what accommodations you need and we will follow up with you!  

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If you do not have access to a ride, call Project Success and we can provide transportation for you. Please let us know if you need a ride when you make your reservation. We will need at least 2 days’ notice to set up transportation.  

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Here is a brief clip of the composer and librettist talking about the opera: