St. Louis Cathedral concert celebrates Creole composers | Entertainment/Life

A year ago, New Orleans-born 19th century composer Edmond Dédé was the star of the annual Musical Louisiana: America’s Cultural Heritage concert, a collaboration between the Historic New Orleans Collection and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

This year, Dédé is essentially a member of the ensemble.

The 2025 Musical Louisiana concert at the St. Louis Cathedral premiered selections from Dédé’s opera “Morgiane,” which was written 1887 but never performed until 138 years later. That “Morgiane” was likely the first complete opera written by a Black American composer — and that it was “lost” for more than a century — generated a dramatic narrative beyond the music itself.

The 2026 Musical Louisiana concert at the cathedral on Wednesday, titled “Echoes of Innovation,” relates to that narrative. But rather than focus on a single composer, it celebrates the contributions of several 19th century Creole composers and “innovators.” In addition to Dédé, the program will feature works by Barès, Lambert, Gottschalk and Martin.

An international flavor

The Musical Louisiana: America’s Cultural Heritage series was founded in 2007 by Alfred E. Lemmon, the late director of HNOC’s Williams Research Center. Every year, the concert, which is streamed online and on the radio, showcases Louisiana’s contributions to classical music. Grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation have helped support the show.

The 2026 roster of performers who will join the LPO at the cathedral is a cross-section of international artists drawn to New Orleans and/or its deep musical traditions. 

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, guest conducted by Daniela Candillari of Opera Theatre of St. Louis, will be joined by the OperaCréole ensemble, clarinetist Doreen Ketchens, pianist Oscar Rossignoli and guitarist Geovane Santos.

The New Orleans-based OperaCréole was founded in 2011 by performer, educator and historian Givonna Joseph and her daughter, Aria Mason, to rediscover and showcase works by composers of African descent. Joseph was a driving force behind last year’s “Morgiane” performance. OperaCréole has performed other works by Dédé.

Ketchens is a world-class clarinetist viewed by many thousands of fans annually as she busks on the streets of the French Quarter. Blending classical and jazz influences, she and her band, Doreen’s Jazz New Orleans, have performed at festivals, concert halls and embassies everywhere from Southeast Asia to Africa. She has also performed for four U.S. presidents.

Rossignoli studied classical music at the National Conservatory of Music in his native Honduras. At night, he played Afro-Latin jazz in nightclubs. That interest led him to American jazz, which naturally led him to New Orleans. Since arriving in the city several years ago, Rossignoli has anchored his own ensembles and backed a wide range of other bandleaders, most notably singer John Boutte.

Opera Theatre of St. Louis principal conductor Daniela Candillari, the LPO’s guest conductor for “Echoes of Innovation,” grew up in Serbia and Slovenia before embarking on an international career.

Her long resume spans operatic and symphonic stages around the globe, from the London Philharmonic to the New York Philharmonic to Deutsche Oper Berlin to Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal. She has also led opera productions at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School.

And come Wednesday, she’ll add conducting the LPO for a celebration of Creole composers from the 19th century to her list of credits.

“Pairing composers with civic and cultural pioneers of their day, this concert reflects the interplay of art and society as a reminder that art never exists in isolation,” the HNOC said in a news release. “Its creation is always rooted in the world that shapes it.”

Admission is free. Show time is 7:30 p.m. The cathedral doors open at 7, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

Before the concert, the Historic New Orleans Collection will host a discussion at 6 p.m. about the show’s cultural and historical context featuring Alvin Jackson of Treme’s Petit Jazz Museum, the curator of the concert program. HNOC family historian Jari C. Honora will facilitate the discussion at the Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.