Cincinnati Opera postpones Afrofuturist-themed `Lalovavi’ by a year to the summer of 2026

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Cincinnati Opera has postponed the premiere of the Afrofuturist-themed “Lalovavi” by one year to the summer of 2026. The company says Monday the libretto by Tifara Brown is still being worked on, delaying the music composition by Kevin Day. “Lalovavi” had been announced in February with a premiere date of June 19, 2025, in conjunction with the Juneteenth holiday. “Lalovavi” means “love” in the Tut language created by enslaved Black Americans, and the three-act work is set in the year 2119.