From Cape Town, to Umeå , to the Peak District via Cardiff

"My creative journey began in Cape Town in 1991, writing African operas for young people."

Michael Williams

The Need for a New Repertoire

I spent 28 years in Cape Town - first as Staff Director for CAPAB Opera and then as the Managing Director of Cape Town Opera. During that time, my opera writing was driven by a need to create a new repertoire for the extraordinary wave of young black opera singers emerging in post-Apartheid South Africa. All the operas, from Enoch, Prophet of God, Sacred Bones, Buchuland to Mandela Trilogy and African Prophetess were explorations of South African history and social issues, designed to give a new generation of artists roles that reflected their own lives.

Hidden Narratives

Since relocating to the United Kingdom, that same drive - to find the lost, human story within the sweeping movements of history - has defined my work. The location may have changed, but I am still drawn to the hidden narratives of the past that unfold in the shadows of historical events. Whether it is on the docks of Tiger Bay in Cardiff, on in the glorious rooms of Chatsworth or among the limestone hills of Buxton, the works remain rooted in the spirit of place and rely on composers, artists and organizations to bring them to life.

The Power of Singers

What ties these works together is a fascination with the resilience of the human spirit. I want to celebrate the voices that history often silences: the migrants of Tiger Bay struggling for acceptance in a new land; a woman determined to live by her own rules, not kowtow to male convention; a writer who transformed personal tragedy into a fierce, lifelong advocacy for peace. By exploring these personal acts of defiance through the power of singers singing their stories, I hope to bring a new perspective to the historical events that have shaped our world.

"The strength of [African] Prophetess lies in its narrative structure. Michael Williams provides a libretto that allows Mats Larsson Gothe’s score to soar, grounding the supernatural elements of the story in a very real, very moving human struggle."

John Allison, Opera Magazine