Renowned composer Shirley Thompson, a cultural pioneer of Jamaican and English descent, will present the world premiere of her latest operatic masterpiece “Seventh Sense: Incidents in the Life of Queen Amanirenas” in March 2026. The groundbreaking work for orchestra and dance will debut at Wentz Hall in Naperville, Illinois on March 6, followed by a second performance at Chicago’s Harris Theatre on March 7.
Thompson, recognized as the first composer of African heritage to receive an OBE and to create music for a British royal coronation (King Charles III’s 2023 ceremony), continues her transformative impact on classical music through culturally significant narratives. The Chicago Sinfonietta commissioned this electrifying production for their International Women’s Day 2026 ‘Still I Rise’ celebration.
The work dramatizes the extraordinary legacy of Queen Amanirenas of Kush, the warrior monarch who successfully defended her kingdom against Roman invasion through military prowess and diplomatic acumen. Thompson’s composition merges orchestral grandeur with contemporary dance, featuring the Chicago Sinfonietta under conductor Mei-Ann Chen alongside the celebrated Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre.
“Seventh Sense” represents the latest installment in Thompson’s revolutionary Heroines of Opera series, which resurrects forgotten histories of women of African ancestry through large-scale stage productions. Previous works in the series include “Sacred Mountain: Incidents of the Life of Queen Nanny of the Maroons,” “Dido Elizabeth Belle,” “Women of the Windrush,” and “The Woman Who Refused to Dance.”
Thompson describes the project as an exploration of pre-colonial African civilizations, highlighting an era when the continent flourished as a global epicenter of artistic, scientific, and cultural advancement. The production promises to deliver both historical revelation and contemporary artistic innovation.