Geoffrey Harpham and Alyson Cambridge with Harlan Greene: Porgy and Bess Reassessed
Sun, Nov 13, 2022 at 6pm
George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is rooted in Charleston. DuBose Heyward, on whose 1925 novel Porgy the opera is based, centered on the Gullah community in Catfish Row, was born in Charleston. In 1934, he and Gershwin spent several weeks in Charleston working on the opera. We bring three cultural figures together to discuss their perspectives on Porgy and Bess. Geoffrey Harpham, Emeritus Professor of the National Humanities Center, discusses this iconic work in his new book Citizenship on Catfish Row. Renowned American soprano Alyson Cambridge first sang the role of Bess at the 2016 Spoleto Festival. Historian Harlan Greene, native of Charleston, worked on the papers of DuBose Heyward and his collaboration with Gershwin on Porgy and Bess. A fitting climax to the Festival.
Sponsored by Dr. Ann Maners and Dr. Alex Pappas
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