Graves made her directorial debut at Minnesota Opera with a production of ‘Carmen’ in May 2022. The same direction and staging were also performed at Glimmerglass Festival and Portland Opera later that year.
This year, she is directing ‘The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse,‘ a chamber opera, in February, soon followed by ‘Loving v. Virginia’ in April and May with Virginia Opera. Find more details below.
2024 - 2025 Season
Apr 25 & 27, 2025 at Harrison Opera House, Norfolk, VA
May 3-4, 2025 at George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax, VA
May 9-11, 2025 at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond, VA
Loving v. Virginia is a monumental moment in the history of racial equality in the United States, yet it has a very humble beginning in the town of Central Point in Caroline County, Virginia where Mildred and Richard lived.
By the spring of 2025, Virginia Opera and the Richmond Symphony plan to bring this important story to life with a newly commissioned opera written by composer Damien Geter and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo, and directed by Denyce Graves.
Feb 18, 2025, 7:00pm
The Town Hall Celebrates James Baldwin and the 60th Anniversary of the Baldwin/Buckley Debate with The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse. A chamber opera, created and conceived by composer, Damien Sneed and librettist, Karen Chilton, directed by Denyce Graves.
Previous Directing Engagements
‘It's the most creative, colorful and meticulously crafted "Carmen" among the several I've experienced. Bursting with imagination, it's full of supremely strong singing, deeply involving portrayals, terrific dance interludes and an Elias Grandy-led orchestra that makes familiar tunes sound fresh again.‘
