Due to new government measures to prevent Covid-19, the shows scheduled at Théâtre du Châtelet are canceled until the end of April. These are not yet open for reimbursement. Châtelet will get back in touch with ticket holders very soon by email to offer them a postponement or a refund depending on the show booked.
We thank you for your understanding and your patience.
Saturday, April 11 - 8pm
Sunday, April 12 - 3pm
Tuesday, April 14 – 8pm
Wednesday, April 15 – 8pm
Thursday, April 16 – 8pm
Friday, April 17 – 8pm
Director Peter Sellars explores with the soprano Julia Bullock the character of a person who shook up the Roaring Twenties in Paris by making the Revue Nègre the must-see event. And, whilst the American Josephine Baker (who became a French citizen in 1937) became famous in Music Hall, she is just as much remembered for her involvement in the secret services of Free France during the Second World War. She later supported the American civil rights movement and Martin Luther King. In her private life, the immortal interpreter of “J’ai deux amours” showed the same freedom of spirit, adopting a dozen children and marrying several times while continuing to have affairs with women.
Famous for his iconoclastic work (especially Mozart) in his early days, the American Peter Sellars now offers more refined productions. Claude Vivier’s Kopernikus, recently presented at the Festival d’Automne in Paris, bears witness to this. For his return to Châtelet, Peter Sellars speaks about his new show: “Perle noire talks about being black in France, about being exotic, being there to entertain. We started with six songs by Josephine Baker, which we extended. This led to the creation of ‘meditations’. For example, her song ‘Si j’étais blanche’ (What if I were white), how might a person of colour imagine things might be if s/he were white? Would life be easier? We look at these songs, as what is under the surface, at everything suggested but never said. At first glance, it’s a little sad, but as Martin Luther King says: ‘I have a dream’. So, what’s the dream?”
Creative Team
Music by Tyshawn Sorey
Texts by Claudia Rankine
Conceived by Peter Sellars & Julia Bullock
Directed by Peter Sellars
Choreography by Michael Schumacher
Lighting Design by James F. Ingalls
Performers
Julia Bullock, soprano
Alice Teyssier, flutes
Ryan Muncy, saxophone
Rebekah Heller, bassoon
Daniel Lippel, guitar
Jennifer Curtis, violin
Tyshawn Sorey, composer, drums, percussion, and piano
Perle Noire: Meditations for Joséphine was commissioned by the International Contemporary Ensemble with lead support from Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting and generous additional support from Alain Coblence.
Performances and commissioning activities during the 2019-20 concert season are made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc., Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, Amphion Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Pacific Harmony Foundation, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University, mediaThe foundation inc., The Casement Fund, BMI Foundation, as well as public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council for the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. The International Contemporary Ensemble is the Ensemble in Residence of the Nokia Bell Labs Experiments in Art and Technology. Yamaha Artist Services New York is the exclusive piano provider for ICE.