Michael Blakk Powell Is Breathing Free…

When Michael Blakk Powell, while a member of the Kuji Mens Chorus in Ohio, was asked to learn music from Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, he had a very immediate response. “No. We were challenged to learn the music in German and I just wasn’t with it. I don’t know anything about German or about opera. It took me so far out of my comfort zone that I didn’t want to do it.”

It was, however, when he finally learned what those German words were saying that he embraced the task at hand. “That was our life. We were singing about our own lives in a way. I was fully on board after I understood what I was doing, though I still didn’t like singing in German all that much.”

The piece they were learning is commonly referred to as the Prisoner’s Chorus (O welche Lust). The Kuji Mens Chorus is comprised of incarcerated men at the Marion Correctional Institution. They were amongst several prison ensembles that were asked to participate in Heartbeat Opera’s 2018 production of Fidelio.

Footage from those sessions is also incorporated into Breathing Free, a 45-minute work from Heartbeat Opera that will have its West Coast Premiere this week when it is presented by The Broad Stage.

Last week I spoke by phone with Powell who was released from Marion nine months ago. We discussed his participation in Breathing Free. We also talked about Beethoven, his experiences in prison and his vow to stay focused and stay humble. What follows are excepts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

Were you surprised that Beethoven’s opera from 1805 could so perfectly capture your own experience in prison?

I never thought me and Beethoven would identify somewhere and be on the same wave length. Realizing that all of this stuff has never changed. That is sad in a way. No one has ever done anything different. We still build in the same way. It’s hurtful because I had to go through it. At the same time it was beneficial for me to learn.

For someone who didn’t want to learn German, I understand you were the first to come in with it memorized.

I was. I didn’t want to be the person who was wrong and slowing everyone down. I’m also very good with pitch recall and I’ve been able to memorize songs since I was very young. It was easier for me.

What stood out to you most about your participation in Fidelio and then Breathing Free?

It was highlighted before I ever gave it a thought – the opportunity for minorities in opera. Or to even hear it. I had never been exposed to opera. To know there are people who look like me who excel in that field, it was crazy. I never thought about that. Breathing Free opened my mind to that. I thought about just singing a bunch of words that were boring to me. Now I now it’s about the story and I never gave that a thought until Breathing Free.

From Eric Garner to George Floyd, it seems as though there is a chronic issue of allowing Black men to breathe in this country. How does the finished version of Breathing Free, and your participation in it, allow you to express your own thoughts about this issue and what are they?

Excuse my pun, but it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s just opening up the way we can tell about our experiences in a way that will be heard. Obviously protesting and chanting isn’t working. Simply saying it as someone who has been through it isn’t resonating at all. Maybe hearing it through opera will make someone else think, “Hey man, that’s not cool.” Music touches people and hopefully through music we can spread the word because we need more people to see it that way because we can’t do it ourselves.

Do you think your life might have been different if you had found a place in the arts or perhaps had access to the arts when you were younger?

Absolutely. I think about that every day. I’m not unique in regards to being able to create music in prison. There are a lot of me’s in that wing there. I always thought what if we had been able to meet up outside these walls? How cathartic would it be to meet each other in this way instead of all the other adverse ways. I think the truest music is an expression of everything you’ve been through, the things you are going through and the things you hope to go through in the future. 

You have released some rap songs of your own but when you participated in The Hamilton Project in prison, you were given the role of Lafayette that required precise and very fast rapping. Was that as daunting as learning Beethoven?

Remember I said I memorize fast? I memorized Guns and Ships in ten minutes. I listened to it 3-4 times and I was there. I was nervous about being Lafayette. I’m very reserved and calm and that character is super high-energy. That’s something I never thought I’d do. I didn’t have the character down until three days before we performed it. Luckily the guy who played Hamilton really pushed me into the character. I managed to do justice in the best way I possibly could. 

By the time Breathing Free makes its West Coast debut, you will be nine months out of prison. You recently released a new rap song, Stay Focused, Stay Humble*. How are you staying focused and staying humble now? 

People look at my background and they think they know me. If you bumped into me on the street you would never guess I spent almost 14 years in prison. The biggest thing is I am never ever going back to prison. I know I never want to be there again. I grew up there from 18-32. I still talk to my guys doing time now. They look up to me. It’s my responsibility to show them something different. These are people who steered me away from gangs and drugs in prison. I want to do that justice. I don’t want all their efforts to be in vain. There are bunch of people waiting for the opportunities to be just like me. So why wouldn’t I?

There are two opportunities to see BREATHING FREE: Wednesday, February 10th at 7:00 PM PST and Saturday, February 13th at 7:00 PM PST. Michael Blakk Powell will participate in a post-show panel after the showing on February 10th.

Photo of Michael Blakk Powell as “Lafayette” in The Hamilton Project by Kyle Long (Courtesy The Broad Stage)

*Stay Focused, Stay Humble can be found on his IG page @blakk_sun. It’s terrific and well worth checking out. Please note it is for mature audiences.