Dear Friends,

August is Black Philanthropy Month!

Our award-winning Black-owned nonprofit, founded in 2011 by the mother-and-daughter team of Givonna Joseph and Aria Mason, is dedicated to researching and performing lost or rarely performed works by composers of African descent. The company focuses on works by free 19th-century New Orleans composers of color and also promotes Louisiana's Creole language and culture.

This summer we were featured in a documentary by The Cosmic Shambles Network, out of London: For The Record: The Incomplete History of Music. Our founder was in episodes 2,5, and 6, but here is OperaCreole's feature in Episode 5.

Now, we are ready to expand the reach of our research:

Creation of OperaCréole's Educator's Page for our website. It will include lesson plans and educational videos
Hiring local Black administrators to help facilitate our effectiveness and growth
Printing our Anthology of Arias, Art Songs, and Creole Folksongs that we have researched and performed
Professionally recording an accompanying CD or audio file to compliment the Anthology
2027 celebrations of the 200th Birthday of Edmon Dédé, the composer, of the oldest extant opera by a Black American composer.

The 200th Anniversary of the birth of New Orleans own Edmond Dédé (1827-1901) coming up next year with celebrations in New Orleans, around the country and in France! You can help facilitate the success of those event. The success of our CD, of his 1887 opera "Morgiane" in partnership with Washington, D.C.-based Opera Lafayette, continues to grow.

Please consider a donation in any amount that you can afford. Small monthly donations can make a big difference.

We appreciate you,

Givonna and Aria

OperaCréole's Black Philanthropy Month Campaign August 2026

Our 15th Anniversary Celebratioon Continues