Stage Director

Graves made her directorial debut at Minnesota Opera with a production of ‘Carmen’ in May 2022. The same direction and staging were also performed at Glimmerglass Festival and Portland Opera later that year.

This year, she is directing ‘The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse,‘ a chamber opera, in February, soon followed by ‘Loving v. Virginia’ in April and May with Virginia Opera. Find more details below.

"One of the most successful new operas of the decade."

– Washington Classical Review

Loving v. Virginia

"An exceptional opera that deserves and needs to be seen."

– OperaGene

"Stunningly powerful... deeply moving."

– DC Theater Arts

2024 - 2025 Season

  • Loving v. Virginia

    Apr 25 & 27, 2025 at Harrison Opera House, Norfolk, VA

    May 3-4, 2025 at George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax, VA

    May 9-11, 2025 at Carpenter Theatre, Richmond, VA

    Loving v. Virginia is a monumental moment in the history of racial equality in the United States, yet it has a very humble beginning in the town of Central Point in Caroline County, Virginia where Mildred and Richard lived.

    By the spring of 2025, Virginia Opera and the Richmond Symphony plan to bring this important story to life with a newly commissioned opera written by composer Damien Geter and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo, and directed by Denyce Graves.

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  • The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse

    Feb 18, 2025, 7:00pm

    The Town Hall Celebrates James Baldwin and the 60th Anniversary of the Baldwin/Buckley Debate with The Tongue & The Lash and A Return to Civic Discourse. A chamber opera, created and conceived by composer, Damien Sneed and librettist, Karen Chilton, directed by Denyce Graves.

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Previous Directing Engagements

  • Carmen at Minnesota Opera '22

    ‘It's the most creative, colorful and meticulously crafted "Carmen" among the several I've experienced. Bursting with imagination, it's full of supremely strong singing, deeply involving portrayals, terrific dance interludes and an Elias Grandy-led orchestra that makes familiar tunes sound fresh again.‘

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  • Carmen at Glimmerglass Festival July-Aug '22

    A co-production with Minnesota Opera

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