Jamaican-British composer premieres new opera

Internationally acclaimed composer, conductor, scholar, cultural activist and filmmaker Shirley J. Thompson OBE, of Jamaican and English heritage, will unveil the world première of her latest Heroines of Opera work, Seventh Sense: Incidents in the Life of Queen Amanirenas for Orchestra & Dance, in Chicago on March 6-7.

Recognised as the first composer of African descent to receive an OBE and the first of African descent to compose music for a British royal coronation, creating a landmark work for the 2023 Coronation of King Charles III, Thompson continues to reshape the global classical music landscape with bold, culturally grounded narratives, a release outlines.

Commissioned by the Chicago Sinfonietta for its International Women’s Day 2026 Still I Rise celebration, the production explores the legendary Queen Amanirenas of Kush, the warrior monarch who led her army against Roman occupation and secured her nation’s independence through diplomacy and strategic brilliance. The work blends orchestral power with contemporary dance, performed by the Chicago Sinfonietta under Maestro Mei-Ann Chen alongside the acclaimed Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.

The release notes: “ Seventh Sense expands Thompson’s groundbreaking Heroines of Opera series, renowned for recovering overlooked histories of women of African heritage and transforming them into compelling large-scale stage works, including Sacred Mountain: Incidents of the Life of Queen Nanny of the Maroons, Dido Elizabeth Belle, Women of the Windrush, and The Woman Who Refused to Dance.”

Thompson describes the work as ‘a journey into pre-colonial African civilisations, celebrating a period when the continent stood as a global centre of artistic, scientific and cultural achievement’, according to the release.

The two performances are scheduled for Friday, March 6 at 7 p.m. at Wentz Hall, Naperville, Illinois and today, Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Harris Theatre, Chicago Loop.