Edmond Dédé - Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d'Ispahan (Patrick Dupre Quigley)

Information

Composer: Edmond Dédé

• Morgiane, ou, Le sultan d'Ispahan

Mary Elizabeth Williams; Kenneth Kellogg; Nicole Cabell

Joshua Conyers; Chauncey Packer; Jonathan Woody

OperaCréole Ensemble

Opera Lafayette Orchestra

Patrick Dupre Quigley, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Delos

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This Delos release presents the world premiere recording of Morgiane, the earliest complete opera by a Black American composer, Edmond Dédé. Brought to light through the efforts of Opera Lafayette and OperaCréole, the recording represents a major rediscovery rather than a revival. Born in New Orleans, Dédé left the racially oppressive conditions of the American South to pursue his career in France, an experience that deeply shaped his musical language. Morgiane reflects this transatlantic identity, uniting American and French traditions while bridging cultural and social divides, and affirming Dédé’s artistic vision and legacy.

Edmond Dédé (1827–1901) enjoyed a transatlantic career as a prolific composer, yet most of his works fell into obscurity after his death. Born free in New Orleans under racially oppressive laws, he pursued European musical training through local teachers before seeking opportunities abroad. After periods in Mexico and Paris, he established a successful career in France, particularly in Bordeaux, as a conductor, composer, and music director. His grand opera Morgiane (1887), long unperformed, survives in a single manuscript rediscovered in 2011. It is the earliest extant opera by an African American composer, underscoring Dédé’s historical and artistic significance.

Patrick Dupre Quigley is a conductor, producer, and composer, and the Founder and Artistic Director of Miami-based Seraphic Fire, as well as Artistic Director Designate of Opera Lafayette. Renowned for historically informed and inclusive programming, he spans more than a millennium of musical repertoire while championing underrepresented voices. Quigley is editing the first edition of Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane, the earliest complete opera by a Black American. He has appeared with leading orchestras across the United States and Canada and at major venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. A New Orleans native, he is Yale-trained and based in Washington, D.C.