Opera Parallèle Presents
Salt & Spirit: An Operatic Experience Rooted in Gullah-Geechee Spirituals
November 14-21, 2026
Z Space’s Steindler Stage
Opening Opera Parallèle's 17th season, Salt & Spirit is a powerful world premiere inspired by the enduring musical traditions of the Gullah-Geechee people of the Carolinas. Rooted in a rare collection of nineteenth-century spirituals and reimagined through a vibrant contemporary score that blends classical, jazz, and traditional influences into an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Co-created by acclaimed tenor Victor Ryan Robertson and Opera Parallèle Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, Salt & Spirit celebrates a culture whose songs preserve memory, identity, and hope across generations. More than a performance, it is an act of remembrance—revealing how music can safeguard history, strengthen community, and carry stories that refuse to be forgotten.
Rich with soaring voices, evocative imagery, and spoken word, Salt & Spirit honors the resilience of the Gullah-Geechee people while inviting audiences to reflect on the legacies we inherit and the stories we choose to pass forward.
Show Schedule
Saturday, November 14: 7:30pm
Sunday, November 15: 3pm
Thursday November 19: 7:30pm
Saturday, November 21: 7:30pm
STICK POUNDING: Rhythm of the Ancestors
Wednesday, November 18
6:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Z Space, 450 Florida Street
Learn the basics of Gullah Stick Pounding in this free workshop led by Melanie DeMore. We will create a foot stomping, hand-clapping rhythmic community and combine it with singing spirituals and songs of protest and peace. Participants will learn about Gullah/Geechee culture through its dynamic music and rhythmic heart. We will, as a community, turn the whole place into a living, breathing drum.
About Melanie DeMore
Melanie DeMore is a three-time Grammy-nominated singer, composer, choral conductor, and vocal activist who believes in the power of voices raised together. A sought-after workshop leader and music director, she has led choirs and community groups across North America and beyond. A founding member of the Grammy-nominated Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, DeMore uses music as a tool for healing, connection, and social change, believing that “a song can hold you up when there seems to be no ground beneath you.”
Brian Staufenbiel, Creative Director of Opera Parallèle, has directed and created conceptual designs for OP productions since the company’s founding in 2010. Specializing in multimedia, immersive, and interdisciplinary productions, he works across numerous disciplines, collaborating in film and with media designers, choreographers and dancers, circus artists, and designer fabricators. His progressive approach has garnered critical acclaim for many OP productions, including Wozzeck, Orphée, Champion, Dead Man Walking, and The Shining. Work for OP this season includes Salt & Spirit, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, and Taking Up Serpents, and reprise productions of The Shining at Hawaii Opera Theatre and The Pigeon Keeper at Opera Omaha. Recent work includes La Belle et la Bête, Harvey Milk Reimagined, and Everest: Opera at the Planetarium for OP, Ainadamar for L’Opera de Montréal and Pacific Opera Victoria, and Staufenbiel recently directed and co-produced Flicka a new documentary about the life of Frederica Von Stade with Paper Wings Films.
Victor Ryan Robertson: A Tenor of Boundless Versatility
Recognized as one of the most electrifying and versatile tenors of the 21st century, Victor Ryan Robertson has captivated audiences worldwide with his powerful voice, commanding stage presence, and seamless ability to cross genres. From opera’s grandest stages to Broadway and Hollywood, Robertson’s career is nothing short of extraordinary. Making history as the first performer to debut at the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Opera, and Broadway all in the same year, Robertson has proved himself as a force in the industry. Previous seasons saw him return to the Metropolitan Opera as “Street” and Elijah Mohammed in The Life and Times of Malcolm X, a role that earned him a 2023 Grammy nomination. He also wowed audiences in Candide and The Shining with The Atlanta Opera, Central Park Five with Portland Opera, and Castor and Patience with Cincinnati Opera. His versatility even extends to the silver screen—he can be heard alongside jazz legend Branford Marsalis on the Netflix motion picture soundtrack Rustin. Whether it’s on stage, screen, or record (La Traviata, Romulus Hunt, Malcolm X), Robertson continues to push artistic boundaries. Want to keep up with his journey? Follow Victor on Instagram: @VictorRyanRobertson
