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PRESS RELEASE
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THE CARLISLE FLOYD CENTENNIAL TO CELEBRATE 100 YEARS OF AMERICAN COMPOSERS’ LEGACY AT
CARNEGIE HALL, JUNE 20
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Conducted by Christopher James Ray and hosted by composer Jake Heggie, the evening will feature performances by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, soprano Gabriella Reyes, baritones Edward Nelson and Reginald Smith Jr., bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, the Florida State University and University of Houston choirs, and other special guests
The concert will also honor bass-baritone Benjamin R. Sokol, the recipient of the inaugural Carlisle Floyd Prize for Voice, a new award created in partnership with the Savannah VOICE Festival
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NEW YORK, NY — On June 20, 2026, The Carlisle Floyd Centennial will host its centerpiece concert, as part of its year-long international celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the pioneering American composer’s birth, at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, at 8:00 p.m.
Hosted by Jake Heggie, composer, close friend, and mentee of Floyd, The Carlisle Floyd Centennial Concert will feature conductor and Executive Director of the Carlisle Floyd Centennial, Christopher James Ray; one of the most distinguished interpreters of American opera on today’s stages, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham; leading soprano Gabriella Reyes, described as “radiant” by the New York Times; baritone Edward Nelson, who recently made his role debut of Tracy Morgan in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning baritone Reginald Smith Jr.; the “...figurative [and] inspired” bass-baritone Ryan McKinny; and Florida State University and University of Houston choirs along with other special guests to be announced at a later date.
The program brings together a breadth of Floyd’s compositional legacy, featuring works that reflect his deep engagement with Southern life, literature-inspired works, and beloved Floyd favorites. The June 20 program will include Floyd’s Orchestral Suite from Susannah, Pilgrimage; "Ain’t it a pretty night" from Susannah; "It Is Done: the war is over and we who are left endure" from The Passion of Jonathan Wade; "We all come out of the earth" from Willie Stark; "Rucker's Sermon" from Cold Sassy Tree; Act I Finale from Cold Sassy Tree; and a scene from Floyd’s rarely performed The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair, one of the composer’s few operas written for a mezzo-soprano lead, performed by Susan Graham.
In addition to the concert, The Carlisle Floyd Centennial will honor bass-baritone Benjamin R. Sokol, the recipient of inaugural Carlisle Floyd Prize for Voice, a new award created in partnership with the Savannah VOICE Festival, founded by American baritone, Sherrill Milnes. Awarded to an exceptionally promising young singer, the Carlisle Floyd Prize for Voice honors the enduring legacy of American composer Carlisle Floyd and recognizes vocal excellence, artistry, dramatic commitment, and the potential to carry forward the tradition of American opera.
Born in Latta, South Carolina, Carlisle Floyd drew deeply on the musical traditions, narratives, and vernacular of the American South throughout his career. He taught at Florida State University in Tallahassee from 1947 to 1976. During that time, he composed many of his most enduring operas, including Susannah, Wuthering Heights, Of Mice and Men, and Pilgrimage. In 1976, he joined the faculty at the University of Houston, where he taught until his retirement in 1996. He co-founded the Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio with then-HGO General Director David Gockley. This influential young artist training program helped launch the careers of numerous opera singers and remains a cornerstone of American opera training. Floyd maintained lasting connections to both Tallahassee and Houston throughout his life, and these institutional ties formed the backbone of the Centennial with performances and collaborations rooted in both regions.
Although Floyd passed away in 2021, his operas remain central to the repertoire. Widely regarded as a visionary and often described as the father of American opera, Floyd shaped a distinctly American operatic voice grounded in dramatic clarity, regional identity, and literary depth. Susannah, with more than 200 productions worldwide, remains among the most frequently performed American operas. Of Mice and Men continues to be programmed by companies seeking American works with narrative clarity and musical focus. Other operas, such as Willie Stark, Cold Sassy Tree, and Prince of Players, along with choral and orchestral works: A Time to Dance and Citizen of Paradise, demonstrate the breadth of his output.
The Carlisle Floyd Centennial is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and advancing the composer’s legacy through performance, scholarship, and education. The Centennial works in partnership with opera companies, orchestras, universities, libraries, and publishers, including Houston Grand Opera, Boosey & Hawkes, the University of Houston, Florida State University, and South Caroliniana Library. For more information about the Carlisle Floyd Centennial and performances in 2026, visit carlislefloyd.org.
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Carnegie Hall Centennial Concert generously sponsored by Distinguished Sponsors ($50,000+) Sallie and Dubose Ausley (Florida State University), Lawrence A. Kern (Susan Graham) Contributing Sponsors ($25,000+) Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation (University of Houston), Gordon P. Getty, Patrick F. Taylor Foundation (University of Houston) Supporting Sponsors ($10,000+) Ruth and Les Akers (Gabriella Reyes), Florence Ashby (Reginald Smith, Jr.), Laura and Sam Rogers, Sam Rogers, Sr. , Martha and Jeremy Solomon (Edward Nelson), John Shannon and Jan Serr (Christopher James Ray), Marjorie Turnbull Benefactors ($5,000+) Johnson Flanagan Fund at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, Mary and Tom Patton, Jim L. Ray, Jr. Memorial Fund Patrons ($2,500+), Sylvan Corazzi, Ann and Barry Munitz, Todd Schultz, Anita and Gernot Köhler, Nancy and David KitchinSustainers ($1,000+) The Kozeliski Family, The Perry Family Foundation
CF100 generously sponsored by Donald Blais, Mark Adamo & John Corigliano, Carol Franc Buck Foundation, Jack Calhoun, Samantha Cohen, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Kip Cranna, Carol & Dixon Doll, Gordon P. Getty, David Gockley, Stephen E. Heiman, Jerry Henry, Susan A. Hensley, Leslie & George Hume Fund, Sydney and Don Janney, Mary Keenan, Michael McGinley, Todd R. Miller, Anne & Barry Munitz, Ellen Schlaefer, Andrew Schneider, Jan Serr & John Shannon, Francesca Zambello & Faith Gay, as well as anonymous donors.
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The Carlisle Floyd Centennial
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
Saturday, June 20, 2026, 8 PM
Performers
Christopher James Ray, Conductor
Gabriella Reyes, Soprano
Susan Graham, Mezzo-Soprano
Edward Nelson, Baritone
Reginald Smith Jr., Baritone
Ryan McKinny, Bass-Baritone
Jake Heggie, Host
Florida State University Choirs
University of Houston Choirs
Program
FLOYD Orchestral Suite from Susannah
FLOYD Pilgrimage
FLOYD "Ain' t It a Pretty Night" from Susannah
FLOYD "It Is Done: The War Is Over and We Who Are Left Endure" from The Passion of Jonathan Wade
FLOYD "We All Come Out of the Earth" from Willie Stark
FLOYD “Dougald, I Would Speak with Thee” from The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair
FLOYD "Rucker's Sermon" from Cold Sassy Tree
FLOYD Act I Finale from Cold Sassy Tree
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