The Swann is a contemporary chamber opera is inspired by the life and times of William Dorsey Swann, a formerly enslaved gender bending denizen of our nation’s capital. Swann was the first known person to dub themself a “queen of drag” and the first American on record to pursue legal and political action to defend the LGBTQIA+ community’s right to gather.

 

Photo credit: Sabrina Santiago

Tamar-kali (Mabou Mines Associate Artist) is an award-winning composer, musician, and performer whose artistic practice extends from alt rock to orchestral and cinematic music with radical depth and emotional precision. Her debut original score for Dee Rees’ Oscar-nominated “Mudbound” was classified by Indiewire as one of the 25 Best Film Scores of the 21st Century. The soundtrack for her score to Josephine Decker’s ‘SHIRLEY’ was named The Guardian’s Contemporary Album of the month. Her original score for history-making cinematographer Rachel Morrison’s directorial debut “The Fire Inside” made 2025’s Oscar Shortlist. She has collaborated with visionaries including Steve McQueen, Bill T. Jones and Julie Dash. As a performer, her work has graced world-class stages. Commissioned works include the song cycle Melancholy Ghosts and Other Mothers for Beth Morrison Projects, the LA Opera digital short “We Hold These Truths” directed by Peabody award winner dream hampton, and a solo cello work, Little Bear Awakens for acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz. 2026 will herald new works for multidisciplinary artist and cellist Jeff Ziegler as well as a vocal and quartet piece for Grammy award-winning soprano Karen Slack and Miro Quartet.