A new opera that combines jazz and classical? Charlie Parker’s Yardbird is about music, creativity, communication, race and racism, drugs and addiction, and life and death and freedom. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces this new opera with music by Daniel Schnyder and a libretto by Bridgette A. Wimberly. Musical examples from an Opera Philadelphia performance, starring Lawrence Brownlee as Charlie Parker, Will Liverman as Dizzy Gillespie, Angela Brown as Addie, Emily Pogorelc as Chan, Elena Perroni as Doris, Chrystal E. Williams as Rebecca, and Tamara Mumford as Nica. The Opera Philadelphia orchestra is conducted by Corrado Rovaris.