Tin Pan Opera

Tin Pan Opera explores the oft-forgotten repertoire of operatic novelties - humorous popular songs from the ragtime era that quote opera or otherwise allude to operatic characters and vocal stars. Combining operatic melodies with the rhythmic verve of ragtime, the songs are filled with vivid images of immigrant Americans, liberated women, and upwardly striving African Americans - emblems of the profound transformations that shook the United States at the beginning of the American century. In colorful language, Tin Pan Opera brings to life the rich humor and keen social criticism of the ragtime era's operatic novelty songs.