IS ARTHUR WOODLEY 
OPERA’S MILES DAVIS?

February 3, 2016 | by Ross Eustis

Arthur Woodley playing Emile Griffith in the Champion premiere at Opera Theatre St. Louis (2013)

In anticipation of Terence Blanchard's Champion: An Opera In Jazz, we asked the Resident Artistic Director about similarities between jazz and opera. We immediately saw the spark in Blanchard's eyes. He waxed on the two art forms for several minutes. One specific comparison stuck out: the "presence" of Champion baritone Arthur Woodley, and how it reminded Blanchard of the great Miles Davis:

"What’s interesting about Arthur Woodley is that he has such a presence on stage. When he walks out, before he sings anything, you go: 'this guy’s amazing!' And then when he starts to sing, you know, to me it’s like Miles Davis. Miles Davis was a guy who had presence. I saw Miles Davis get a standing ovation one time for taking his sunglasses off. That just tells you how connected he was to the audience. Arthur has the same thing. By the end of Champion, you want to run up there and give this guy a hug. Because you forget he’s Arthur. You’re hugging Emile [Griffith]... It’s powerful. It’s magical. It’s honest. And it’s real. It’s what happens in life. And I think that’s what we relate to, the humanity of it."