The Mask in the Mirror (2009)

The Mask in the Mirror is a chamber opera that depicts the courtship and failed marriage between famed African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) and novelist Alice Ruth Moore (1875–1935). Paul Laurence Dunbar is historically important because he was the first successful African-American poet and his work has inspired generations especially in the 1920s. The opera follows their relationship from Dunbar’s initial letter of introduction to Alice to their final estrangement and Paul’s imminent death at his home in Dayton, Ohio.

Trilogy Opera, 2012

Recorded by Sanaa Opera Project in 2019

Artists:

• Conductor - Dr. Stephen Tucker
• Paul Laurence Dunbar - Cameo Humes, tenor
• Alice Ruth Moore - Angela Owens, soprano