At the actual Downieville Fourth of July celebrations that year, there were many of those swells - including Colonel John B. It was fitting that Sellars included in the bedraggled mob a few rich fellows in fancy black suits and top hats. Ryan McKinny as Clarence, J’Nai Bridges as Josefa Segovia, Julia Bullock as Dame Shirley, and the San Francisco Opera Chorus in John Adams’ ‘Girls of the Golden West.’ Photo: Stefan Cohen/San Francisco Opera There she sits with a calm dignity, dressing and putting on her jewelry, to face the crowd. When the miners find Cannon’s body, they stampede to her adobe cottage. The Fourth of July celebration turns into a drunken brawl, and miner Joe Cannon (Paul Appleby) breaks down their door and tries to rape Josefa. Josefa warns of the disaster she foresees in the tiny mining town, her velvety mezzo-soprano pulses with an undertone of fear. In Downieville, Mexicans could not stake claims, so Ramon (Elliot Madore) and his wife Josefa (J’Nai Bridges) work in a gambling den. An estimated 10,000 Mexican miners were driven from the gold fields. at 10 cents - $6.00, Girl - $250.” Ah Sing’s aria, “A traveler on this shore, since coming to this frontier land, I bear all kinds of abuse…” is derived from the poetry carved into the walls of the immigration station at Angel Island.Ĭhinese and Latin American miners were not welcome – they were subjected to the Foreign Miners’ Tax of 1850, forcing them to abandon claims or go broke. A bill of sale from found in San Francisco library archives attests to the truth of her tragic history, it lists “Rice – 6 mats, $12., Salt fish, 60 lbs. With bitter pride, she relates that 10 years later she is now worth $700. In a liquid soprano voice, she tells of being bought for $7 at the age of 10 and sold into prostitution. She, like thousands of other girls, fled China to escape war, disease, and famine. And smarter men to make us grow, than England, France or Mexico.” Though he sings “To one and all, both young and old, you’re welcome here, the land of gold,” the mob’s brutal actions belie his words.Īh Sing (Hye Jung Lee) doesn’t feel welcome. A raucous crowd of drunken men threatens Chinese miners, shouting “Yellow-skins, get out! Get out!” They whip, beat and slash the ears off Latin Americans, with cries of, “Death for all Chileans, Mexicans and Peruvians.”Ĭlarence’s words now reveal the miners’ bigotry: “We’ve got more gold than all the world…and prisons too, we’ve got the best. Its gigantic trunk is now a stage for a bawdy Fourth of July celebration, featuring barroom girls dressed in skimpy red-white-and-blue tutus and the infamous Spider Dance of Lola Montez (Lorena Feijoo). The stage is dominated by the huge stump of a downed tree, no longer majestic. The bass-baritone’s boastful description, “It was the only population of its kind,” is followed by a scenic - if rather bumpy - journey by Dame Shirley (Julia Bullock) to the mining town of Rich Bar in a wagon is driven by Ned Peters (Davóne Tines), a fugitive slave turned cowboy.īut by Act II, the glories of the Gold Rush and even the wonders of nature have fallen prey to greed, racist violence, and misogyny. His words, adapted from Mark Twain’s “Roughing It,” pretty much sum up the idealized view of the Gold Rush that California students are still taught in school. He is a long-time volunteer with Search for Common Ground, which works to end violent conflict through appeals to the shared human feelings on both sides, and has shared his musical expertise with Houston Grand Opera’s community outreach programs, including their prison empathy workshops.Forty-niner Clarence (Ryan McKinny) swings his pick, as he sings among towering, stylized redwood trees when the curtain rises on the premiere of new opera Girls of the Golden West (through Sun/10 at SF Opera) by John Adams and Peter Sellars. Ryan’s commitment to transformative collaboration has led him to explore the potential of classical music in breaking down social barriers. With Helio Arts, he commissions artists to write, direct, and film original stories, leveraging his personal power to help elevate new voices and visions in the classical performing arts world. Ryan brings this clarity of vision to his work behind the camera, creating intimate films that bring stunningly beautiful and innovative performances to streaming audiences. Ryan believes the power of art lies in its relevance – that genuine connection can wake up a stagnant society to the possibilities of change. His relentless curiosity informs riveting character portrayals and beautifully crafted performances, reminding audiences of their shared humanity with characters on stage and screen. American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny has earned his reputation as an artist with something to say.
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