Onstage: Champion

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“Opera Fusion: New Works” kicks off its second season with Champion, featuring a score by Grammy winning Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard and a libretto by Pulitzer and Tony Award winner Michael Cristofer. Champion tells the story of prize fighter Emile Griffith, who fatally KO’d during the 1962 welterweight championship an opponent who had baited him with gay slurs. A prolific composer for ensembles and more than 35 films (Clockers, Cadillac Records), Blanchard makes his operatic debut with two workshop performances, directed by James Robinson of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, where Champion premieres next June. “Opera Fusion” is an extraordinary collaboration between CCM’s Opera Department and Cincinnati Opera that offers composers and librettists a 10-day workshop for new works. The creators welcome audience feedback, and you can do that at a reception following Sunday’s performance. Tickets are free but must be procured in advance. 8 p.m. Saturday Oct. 27 at CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater, 513-556-4183; 3 p.m. Sunday Oct. 28 at SPCA Mayerson Theater 513-241-2742.