Opera Theater of St. Louis stages Still’s rarely performed one-acter, “Highway 1, U.S.A”

“Thanks to his rich catalog of symphonic and chamber music, [William Grant] Still … was widely known as the pathbreaking ‘dean’ of Black American composers,” writes Seth Colter Walls in Friday’s (5/28) New York Times. “But his operas have struggled to gain a foothold in the repertoire. ‘Troubled Island’ … premiered at New York City Opera in 1949, but continues to wait for a second production…. Still’s one-act stunner ‘Highway 1, U.S.A.,’ premiered in 1963, has also been a rarity. But it will enter the limelight this weekend with … a new staging, directed by Ron Himes, at Opera Theater of St. Louis … conducted by Leonard Slatkin … and featuring a cast of rising stars.” The production will feature Nicole Cabell, Will Liverman, Christian Mark Gibbs, and Rehanna Thelwell. “Cabell credited the company with finding a way to forge ahead with an operatic work of ‘cultural significance.’ … St. Louis plans to film the performances with an eye to streaming the work later…. ‘That’s the thing with Black composers in general,’ Liverman said. ‘I think the music’s out there. It’s just not performed enough.’ ”