What Belongs to You

David T. Little is an American composer and librettist, a former drummer whose operas, including Dog Days, JFK, and the Grammy-nominated Black Lodge, probe the deep corners of human psychology. What Belongs to You won the 2025 Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera. It is adapted from the acclaimed 2016 debut novel by Garth Greenwell, written for the Grammy Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman, and performed by the 20-member ensemble Alarm Will Sound under the direction of founder Alan Pierson. The director is Mark Morris, the celebrated dancer and choreographer. The opera premiered at the Modlin Center for the Arts in 2024.

Garth Greenwell is the author of the novel What Belongs to You, on which this opera is based. Published in 2016, the book won the British Book Award for Debut of the Year and was shortlisted for the PEN/Faulkner Award. Set in Sofia, it traces an American teacher’s entanglement with a young sex worker, a story Publishers Weekly called the “first great novel of 2016.” Greenwell’s second novel, Cleanness, followed in 2020 to further acclaim.

Karim Sulayman is the Grammy Award-winning tenor for whom the role in What Belongs to You was written. He has made recent debuts with the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, with additional engagements at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Houston Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and New York City Opera. His discography includes the solo album Songs of Orpheus, released on the AVIE label to international acclaim. Opera News named him a “Critic’s Choice,” and he received the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Alarm Will Sound + 2

Mark Morris directs this production of What Belongs to You. He led the opera’s world premiere on September 26, 2024, at the Modlin Center for the Arts at the University of Richmond, conducted by Alan Pierson and starring Karim Sulayman. One of the most celebrated choreographers of his generation, Morris brings his signature clarity of musical and physical structure to this staging. His work continues to define the intersection of dance, opera, and live music across major stages worldwide.

Alarm Will Sound is the Grammy-winning new-music ensemble performing in What Belongs to You. The group celebrates its 25th anniversary this season, with the opera standing as one of its landmark projects. Its work has been presented by Carnegie Hall, Park Avenue Armory, the Holland Festival, BAM Next Wave, LA Opera, Opéra de Montréal, and the LA Philharmonic. Conducted by Alan Pierson, the ensemble has built its reputation on fearless, exacting performances of contemporary repertoire, and What Belongs to You was written for its distinctive sound.