Naomi André is the David G. Frey Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA, and Professor Emerita of Afroamerican and African Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, and the Residential College at the University of Michigan, USA. She is the author of Black Opera: History, Power, Engagement (2018). Dr. André is a founding member of the Black Opera Research Network (BORN) and was the inaugural Scholar in Residence at the Seattle Opera (2019-2024).