Terence Blanchard's Champion

About Terence Blanchard's Champion

When Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones opened the Met’s 2021–22 season to universal acclaim, it marked a historic moment in the annals of the company. Now, the six-time Grammy Award–winning composer’s first opera arrives at the Met. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green is the young boxer Emile Griffith, who rises from obscurity to become a world champion, and bass-baritone Eric Owens portrays Griffith’s older self, haunted by the ghosts of his past. Soprano Latonia Moore is Emelda Griffith, the boxer’s estranged mother, and mezzo- soprano Stephanie Blythe is the bar owner Kathy Hagan. Yannick Nézet-Séguin is again on the podium for Blanchard’s second Met premiere, and director James Robinson—whose productions of Fire and Porgy and Bess brought down the house—oversees the staging. Camille A. Brown, whose choreography electrified audiences in Fire and Porgy, also returns.

An Opera by Terence Blanchard. Libretto by Michael Cristofer. Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera. Originally commissioned by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, co-commissioned by Jazz St. Louis. A co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Check-In & Reservations

This performance is free of charge and open to the public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 11:30 A.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Parking 

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited, and it is best to visit the USC Transportation Website for the most up-to-date information if you plan to drive and park on campus:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/

FOOD AND DRINKS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED FROM THE AUDITORIUM.
VIOLATORS WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE THE PERFORMANCE.

PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.
DOORS WILL CLOSE 15 MINUTES INTO THE PERFORMANCE.

This program is generously sponsored by


For more information about upcoming programming and events offered by
USC Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative, please visit their website.