Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Lucy Caplan, "Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera"

Date: November 15, 2025
Host: Kristin Turner
Guest: Lucy Caplan, author of Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera (Harvard UP, 2025)

Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between host Kristin Turner and musicologist Lucy Caplan about Caplan’s groundbreaking new book, Dreaming in Ensemble: How Black Artists Transformed American Opera. The discussion explores the overlooked yet vibrant history of Black participation and innovation in American opera from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Caplan’s study uncovers a "Black operatic counterculture" that was neither centered on mere "firsts" nor solely defined by exclusion, but rather envisioned opera as a terrain for community, self-making, and radical dreaming.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins of the Book and Personal Motivation ([02:44]–[05:14])

• Lucy Caplan’s Entry Point: Caplan’s fascination with Black opera began as an undergraduate when she stumbled upon Shirley Graham’s opera Tom-Tom in an archive, a discovery that challenged dominant narratives of both Black music and American opera.
  • "In the classes I'd taken on African American history..., Black music was never really talked about in terms of opera.... It seemed so out of place." (Lucy Caplan, [03:46])
• The project grew into a broader exploration spanning archival research, addressing gaps in both musicology and African American studies.

2. Why Opera? Black Artists and a Contested Genre ([06:33]–[10:07])

• Caplan details opera’s paradoxical appeal for Black artists, despite its associations with white Europe, elitism, and exclusion:
  • Aesthetics: Opera’s imaginative, non-realist qualities allowed Black artists to transcend demands for sociological "representation".
  • Collectivity: Opera as a collective endeavor—"ensemble"—figured centrally in Black artistic communities.
  • Politics and Experimentation: Opera’s class-coded status became a site to challenge, repurpose, or reimagine social uplift and respectability.
  • Quote: "Opera is an art form that really requires a sort of imagination and departure from the world of kind of pure representation.... That was really intriguing to a lot of artists." (Lucy Caplan, [07:29])

3. Dreaming in Ensemble: The Power and Limitations of Black Operatic Aspirations ([10:16]–[13:02])

• The idea of "dreams" recurs in artists’ diaries, interviews, and writings:
  • For some, it meant personal artistic ambitions (composing, starring).
  • For others, opera became a canvas to envision alternative futures—worldmaking.
  • Caplan draws inspiration from Robin Kelley’s Freedom Dreams: evaluating the significance of these aspirations, even when unrealized.
  • Quote: "If we look not just at what black artists were able to achieve in opera... but rather what they were hoping for, that's a much more useful and exciting way to understand what they were looking for." (Lucy Caplan, [12:17])

4. Expanding Beyond “Firsts”: History as Network, Not Icons ([13:02]–[19:08])

• Caplan intentionally avoids a history focused solely on milestone "firsts" or exceptional figures that reinforce dominant narratives (“inclusion” stories).
• By mining the Black press and other archives, she uncovers:
  • Small opera companies, teaching studios, and community performances.
  • The importance of institutions, ephemeral projects, and lesser-known organizers.
  • Many artists were more interested in making opera collectively within Black communities than in breaking mainstream barriers.
  • Quote: “Being a first was not necessarily the goal of a lot of these artists... They were often trying to make opera, create opera, think about opera within existing communities.” (Lucy Caplan, [16:42])

5. Key Figures: Freeman, Holt, and Drury ([20:36]–[34:03])

H. Lawrence Freeman (composer):

• Born mid-1860s, he wrote over 20 operas, many ambitious and never performed.
• Despite near-impossible odds, Freeman’s creative ambition only grew; his work demonstrates perseverance and radical imagination.
  • Quote: "He just went more and more ambitious rather than making himself smaller or trying to kind of appeal to the norms of his day." (Lucy Caplan, [25:44])

Nora Holt (critic):

• Early Black woman music critic and composer in Chicago; known for vivid, insightful reviews in the Chicago Defender.
• Contributed a unique style and provided rare perspectives on both musical content and the Black experience in elite musical spaces.
  • Quote: "Her writing is just fascinating to my mind.... She takes you into the scene of all these performances." (Lucy Caplan, [29:06])

Theodore Drury (baritone, producer):

• Founded the all-Black Theodore Drury Grand Opera Company in 1900.
• Sought to build Black institutions—not just to integrate existing ones.
  • Quote: "He's really creating these spaces for black artists to produce opera as a group, as a collective.... That distinguishes his work from more conventional kind of first narratives." (Lucy Caplan, [33:27])

6. Changing Contexts: Segregation and Shifting Goals ([34:03]–[39:04])

• Black opera activity adapted to shifting legal and social realities from the nadir of Jim Crow to the Civil Rights era.
• Early on, the focus was on building autonomous Black spaces; later, with changing possibilities, strategic efforts for desegregation increased (e.g., Marian Anderson at the Met).
• Caplan insists on continuity and interdependence between these two strategies.

7. “Firsts” as Community Achievements: The Camilla Williams Story ([42:04]–[46:08])

• Camilla Williams, first Black woman to sing with the New York City Opera, benefited from deep networks:
  • Trained at HBCUs; mentored by Cleota Collins and others.
  • Always acknowledged her community roots and teachers—contradicting the myth of solitary trailblazers.
  • The white press erased these communal narratives; the Black press emphasized them.
  • Quote: "She was constantly citing other people who shaped her training, shaped her career...I love that image of them just kind of sitting on the porch looking at the score. It gives us a real sense of all the smaller, kind of more intimate, personal backstage moments that went into making a performance like this possible." (Lucy Caplan, [44:12])

8. On the Construction of Narrative and Historiography ([47:15]–[48:36])

• Reading events side by side in Black and white newspapers exposes vastly different interpretations and hidden networks.
• Caplan underlines the critical need for attention to archival diversity and context.

9. Shirley Graham’s Tom-Tom: The Origin Story and Its Significance ([49:26]–[54:17])

• Tom-Tom (1932): An epic three-act opera tracing Black history from West Africa, through the American South, to Harlem.
• Graham drew from diverse musical idioms—percussionist traditions, spirituals, European opera, jazz—reflecting the diaspora’s range.
• Despite a massive premiere, it was only performed once and vanished into the archive.
• Tom-Tom serves as a symbol of expansive Black operatic dreaming and lost possibility.
  • Quote: "[Tom-Tom is] this amazingly ambitious piece, musically, dramatically, that was actually produced at scale...Big success, and then it was never performed again. So it has this kind of big rise and then really precipitous fall right afterwards." (Lucy Caplan, [53:32])

10. Enduring Value: Beyond Fame and Performance ([54:17]–[56:35])

• Caplan posits that the significance of these operas, companies, and individuals does not rest on mainstream recognition or repeated performances.
• The very act of dreaming, creating, and building community institutions is historically meaningful.
  • Quote: "...Even when that story becomes where it's harder to see how these figures influenced the longer trajectory of American opera...that their work is worth honoring and remembering in its own right, kind of regardless of what impact it had on future generations..." (Lucy Caplan, [55:49])

11. Future Projects ([56:55]–[59:26])

• Caplan is working on a critical edition of Tom-Tom for possible revival.
• Her new research centers on the history of "blind auditions," tracing their roots and implications for equity in music.

Notable Quotes – Speaker Attribution & Timestamps

• On Dreaming:
  "If we look not just at what black artists were able to achieve in opera... but rather what they were hoping for, that's a much more useful and exciting way to understand what they were looking for."
  — Lucy Caplan ([12:17])

• On Avoiding "Firsts":
  "Being a first was not necessarily the goal of a lot of these artists... They were often trying to make opera, create opera, think about opera within existing communities."
  — Lucy Caplan ([16:42])

• On Freeman’s Persistence:
  "He just went more and more ambitious rather than making himself smaller or trying to kind of appeal to the norms of his day."
  — Lucy Caplan ([25:44])

• On Community Networks:
  "She was constantly citing other people who shaped her training, shaped her career..."
  — Lucy Caplan ([44:12])

• On Historical Importance:
  "Their work is worth honoring and remembering in its own right... regardless of what impact it had on future generations..."
  — Lucy Caplan ([55:49])

Memorable Moments

• Caplan’s first-ever archival trip, discovering Graham’s Tom-Tom ([02:46])
• The list of words ("respectability," "ensemble," "drama") taped by Caplan to her desk as she pondered why opera ([06:43])
• The behind-the-scenes stories of overlooked teachers and networks supporting now-celebrated singers ([44:12])
• Caplan’s advocacy for future performances of Tom-Tom ([56:55])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:44] – Lucy Caplan’s personal spark: Tom-Tom discovery
• [06:33] – The appeal of opera for Black artists: aesthetic, social, political reasons
• [10:16] – The meaning of “dreaming” in Black opera
• [14:11] – Moving beyond “firsts” and iconic narratives
• [21:47] – Introduction to three key historical figures
• [42:04] – The case of Camilla Williams and the networks behind operatic firsts
• [49:26] – The story of Tom-Tom and Shirley Graham
• [56:55] – Caplan’s new projects: Tom-Tom edition and research on blind auditions

Conclusion

Lucy Caplan’s Dreaming in Ensemble urges readers (and listeners) to expand how we think about artistic achievement, cultural history, and the legacy of Black opera in America—not just in terms of integrationist "firsts," but as a long process of dreaming, institution-building, and creative resilience. The episode offers a rich tapestry of archival stories, forgotten figures, and collective ambition, opening up new ways to imagine the history of American music.