Inspired by the biblical story of Susannah and the Elders, it’s about an 18-year-old girl named Susannah who is condemned as a sinner by the church leaders and citizens of her rural Appalachian town for innocently bathing in a creek.

San Diego Opera had a long association with Floyd, producing five of his operas, beginning with “Susannah,” from 1981 to 2001. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.