In early March, artists, community leaders, and law enforcement officials gathered in Washington to discuss Blue, a contemporary opera by Tazewell Thompson and Jeanine Tesori that explores race, policing, and reconciliation.

The opera's premiere at the Kennedy Center was later postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington National Opera is committed to staging Blue at a future date and we look forward to fostering more conversations that enable understanding and action.

Host: Timothy O'Leary, General Director of Washington National Opera | Moderator: Ronald E. Hampton, Former Executive Director of the National Black Police Association | Panelists: Tazewell Thompson, Director and Librettist of Blue Kenneth Kellogg, The Father in Blue Briana Hunter, The Mother in Blue Chief Peter Newsham, Metropolitan Police Department Frank Riley III, Retired Police Officer Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia

CLICK HERE to view