“‘Ambitious’ seems too light an adjective to describe their work, which injects “Treemonisha” with a timeless universality and adds complex themes of self-hate, Black identity and intergenerational trauma… Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth’s fresh orchestrations for this production, conducted by Kalena Bovell, are the first to meet Joplin’s music on its own terms. Historically European instruments share the stage with West African percussion, creating a sound that, like Joplin’s score, blends a variety of styles.”