Cadman: Shanewis

Introduction

Shanewis (or The Robin Woman) is an opera in one act and two scenes by Charles Wakefield Cadman with an English libretto by Nelle Richmond Eberhart.

Performance history

The opera, which debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City on March 23, 1918, is the first American opera to have been presented at the Metropolitan Opera for more than a single season. Over a two-season span, it was staged eight times. The opera was later performed in Denver in 1924 and Los Angeles in 1926. At the Denver performance of 1924, the title role was performed by soprano Tsianina Redfeather Blackstone, who provided the semi-autobiographical story of the opera, in her operatic debut.