Shadowboxer: An Opera Based on the Life of Joe Louis
making
music
creative
cast
sets
costumes
resources
side middle graphic
Clarice Smith Center
usm
mos
side bottom graphic
Buy TicketsThe Music of Shadowboxer

From their first collaboration in 1993, composer Frank Proto and librettist John Chenault have been exploring and re-defining the ways in which music and words combine in performance. To date, they have written seven works together, each bringing an all-encompassing experience to audiences and utilizing the orchestra in ways beyond the traditional.

Joe's Aria, Act 1Jazz Cut 1Jazz Cut 4Lillie's Aria, Act 1Jazz Cut 2Jazz Cut 5Marva's Aria, Act 1Jazz Cut 3

"[There's] an orchestra in the pit, a jazz combo of eight on stage,
plus the singers and chorus – and the music is staggeringly beautiful."

Leon Major, Director, Maryland Opera Studio