X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X is an opera with music by
Anthony Davis and
libretto by
Thulani Davis, to a story by Christopher Davis. It is based on the life of the civil rights leader
Malcolm X.
Performance history
The opera premiered in a full production at the
American Music Theater Festival (AMTF) in Philadelphia on October 9, 1985, and was subsequently revised and expanded for a production at the
New York City Opera (NYCO) on September 28, 1986. The latter was listed as the world premiere in accordance with an agreement made between then-NYCO artistic director
Beverly Sills, and AMTF directors
Eric Salzman and Marjorie Samoff.[1][2][3] The Oakland Opera Theater performed the work in June 2006.[4] New York City Opera presented an abridged concert version on May 12, 2010, at the
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. It was performed at New York's
Metropolitan Opera in November/December 2023.[5][6][7] It was performed at the
Seattle Opera in February 2024.[8]