 In
Anthony Davis’s new opera Wakonda’s Dream, a modern-day,
young American Indian named Jason, “sees things, feels things,
knows things.” What he sees is the spirit of Standing Bear,
the long-dead chief of the Ponca tribe, from the Niobrara region
of Nebraska. Standing Bear, along with 13 fellow tribal members,
was detained without cause for returning to Nebraska following the
government removal of the tribe to “Indian Territory” (Oklahoma)
in 1877. The subsequent trial and the release of the Indians is the
backdrop of this opera that premiered March 7, 2007 at Opera Omaha.
Davis, a professor in the UC San Diego department of music, is
acclaimed for his stylistic versatility in such operas as X:
The
Life and Times of Malcolm X, Tanya, and Amistad.
“Generally, what I’m doing is a synthesis,” says Davis. “I
have
created something new from many diverse sources. My background draws
on the African American tradition, jazz particularly. I developed
my own voice as an opera composer that hopefully is not imitative
or derivative.” 
Contributors to Making Waves: Mario Aguilera, '89, Rex Graham, Raymond Hardie, Debra Kain, Daniel B. Kane, Kim McDonald
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