Sung in English, The Central Park Five dramatizes the true story of the “Exonerated Five” – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – five Black and Latino teenagers wrongly convicted in the 1989 rape and assault of a woman jogger in Central Park. After years in prison, the young men were exonerated through DNA evidence and the confession by the actual perpetrator of the crime.

The opera traces their arrests, coerced confessions and unjust trials against a backdrop of racial prejudice – weaving an intimate, nuanced and deeply human portrait of justice and perseverance. Musically, Davis draws on jazz, contemporary classical, R&B, and hip-hop to underscore the drama and create a portrait of Black American music that stretches across time and genre.

MORE ABOUT THE OPERA

“Forthright and impassioned.”
- The New York Times
“Dark, propulsive, and, at times, wrenchingly lyrical.”
- The New Yorker
“Anthony Parnther conducted with gripping authority.”
- The Los Angeles Times

ABOUT THE RECORDING

The Central Park Five was originally commissioned and premiered by LBO at Warner Grand Theatre in June of 2019. The full orchestration was commissioned by Detroit Opera, and LBO brought the opera to audiences again in a new production in 2022 at Jordan Auditorium, on the campus of Long Beach’s Jordan High School. Following this second production, Long Beach Opera brought the cast and conductor Anthony Parnther to Silent Zoo Studios in Los Angeles to create the first studio recording of the piece, engineered by Greg Curtis.

The opera has received critically acclaimed productions across the U.S., including those by Portland Opera and Detroit Opera, and is published by Schott Music. The release highlights LBO’s rich legacy of taking risks on bold, urgent new works – and investing deeply in their commissions to create meaningful, lasting cultural impact.

Cast & Creative

Composer

Anthony Davis
Librettist

Richard Wesley
Conductor

Anthony Parnther
DIRECTOR

J. Ed Araiza
Yusef Salaam

Cedric Berry
Antron McCray

William Powell III
Kevin Richardson

Bernard Holcomb
Raymond Santana

Orson Van Gay
Korey Wise

Ashley Faatoalia
The Masque

Justin Ryan
District Attorney

Lacey Jo Benter
Donald Trump

Todd Strange
Ensemble / Antron’s Mother / Others

Joelle Lamarre
Ensemble / Yusef’s Mother / Others

Lindsay Patterson Abdou
Ensemble Tenor

Corey Estelle
Ensemble / Raymond’s Father / Matias Reyes

Josè Luis Maldonado

Full album credits

The Central Park Five

Composed by Anthony Davis

Libretto by Richard Wesley

Conducted by Anthony Parnther

Producers

Anthony Davis

Anthony Parnther

Long Beach Opera

Greg Curtis

Executive Producers

Andreas Mitisek, Jennifer Rivera, Michelle Magaldi

With Generous Support from

Anonymous, Patrick Seaver and Sonja Berggren, Sue Bienkowski, Barbara Bixby Blackwell, Jean Bixby Smith, Linda and Richard Claytor, Erica Pascal and Mike Hostettler, Sally Kurnick, Greta Mandell, and the University of California, San Diego Academic Senate.

Opera History

The opera Five, which premiered in 2016, was originally commissioned in 2013 by Trilogy: An Opera Company. In 2018, Long Beach Opera commissioned Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley to develop their work into an expanded version.

The Central Park Five premiered in 2019 in a production by Long Beach CA, conducted by Leslie Dunner and directed by Andreas Mitisek. After winning the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2020, Long Beach Opera brought the opera back to audiences in 2022 in a new production conducted by Anthony Parnther and directed by J. Ed Araiza, which was then recorded at Silent Zoo Studios.

Recording Dates: June 25 and 26, 2022

Recording Location: Silent Zoo Studios, 736 Salem Street, Glendale, California 91203

Sound Engineer/Mix Engineer: Greg Curtis

Mastered at Marsh Mastering by Stephen Marsh

Copyright Year: 2026

CAST

District Attorney - Lacey Jo Benter

Kevin Richardson - Bernard Holcomb

Raymond Santana - Orson Van Gay

Korey Wise - Ashley Faatoalia

Yusef Salaam - Cedric Berry

Antron McCray - William Powell, III

The Masque/Judge - Justin Ryan

Donald Trump/Forensics Officer - Todd Strange

Jogger/Antron's Mother/Kevin's Mother/Korey's Mother/Ensemble - Joelle Lamarre

Sharonne Salaam/Ensemble - Lindsay Patterson Abdou

Antron's Father/Ensemble - Corey Estelle

Raymond's Father/Matias Reyes/Ensemble - Jose Maldonado

ORCHESTRA

Violin I/Concertmaster - Alyssa Park

Violin II - Kayvon Sesar

Viola - Dae Kwon

Cello - Joo Lee

Bass - Mark Dresser

Flute - Sara Andon

Oboe - Marissa Honda

Clarinet - Jonathan Sacdalan

Bassoon - Jonathan Stehney

Saxophone - Pat Posey

French Horn - Danielle Ondarza

Trumpet - Daniel Rosenboom

Trombone - Michael Dessen

Percussion - Jamie Strowhiro

Drum Set - Mark Ferber

Piano - Aron Kallay

Piano - Josh White

Synthesize - Earl Howard

Contractor - Noah Gladstone