LOS ANGELES — The opera was written by composer Michael Abels and composer/librettist Rhiannon Giddens, and is directed by Kaneza Schaal. 

Tenor Jamez McCorkle plays the lead role of Omar, marking his LA Opera debut. 

“Omar” traces the little-known story of Omar Ibn Said, the 37-year-old West African scholar who was captured and forced aboard a ship bound for Charleston, South Carolina where the opera had its world premiere in May 2022.