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Porgy and Bess (1935) is a landmark American “folk opera” by George Gershwin, featuring a libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin. Set in Catfish Row, Charleston, it follows the disabled beggar Porgy’s attempt to rescue Bess from her violent lover, Crown, and drug dealer, Sportin’ Life. Porgy and Bess is the first great American opera, significant for centering on Black American life with an all-African American cast. It blended jazz, blues, and classical traditions, providing crucial opportunities for Black classical singers. It remains important as a complex, celebrated, yet often controversial work that forces reflection on race and cultural representation in art.
Thomas Shoebotham has taught and performed on the cello in the Bay Area for over 20 years. Maestro Shoebotham plays a 2004 Anthony Lane cello, which won a silver medal for tone at the Violin Society of America competition in Portland. Also a noted conductor, he has directed performances for a number of groups, including Opera San Jose, Berkeley Opera, Peninsula Symphony, West Bay Opera, Contra Costa Chamber Orchestra, Albuquerque Philharmonic, and Palo Alto Philharmonic.
