Troubled Island

Still's Grand Opera "Troubled Island"

William Grant Still's Troubled Island was the first grand opera composed by an African-American to be produced by a major opera company for the American stage. It was produced in 1949 by the New York City Opera company.

Opening night was received with 22 curtain calls from a packed house. The premiere was a resounding success.

However, the opera's production was shut-down after its first three performances and the opera has never been staged again.

The events surrounding Troubled Island's production and its premiere performances are considered to be the result of a complex network of racial and political intrigue.

The newly-released publication, JUST TELL THE STORY: TROUBLED ISLAND, is creating quite a stir in the arts world. For the first time, the story of Still's grand opera, Troubled Island, is told through the use of original source documentation, which takes an unprecented look at one of the most significant events in American history.