Treemonisha is considered the first grand opera written by an African American composer. Scott Joplin composed this opera, his second, between 1906 and 1910. Set after the Civil War on a Texas plantation, the opera tells the story of a young, educated black woman who helps free her people from ignorance and superstition. Joplin never saw a full production of Treemonisha. In January 1972, Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta, Georgia, produced the opera with an African American cast.

Although the initial production of Treemonisha received a great deal of praise from critics, it also drew criticism from some reviewers. See Byron Belt. “Scott Joplin’s Almost Forgotten Opera, ‘Treemonisha.’” Kansas City Star. August 20, 1972. p. 2F.

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