Meet acclaimed singer and composer Damien Geter, a Virginia native who stars in the February 3 and 4 Virginia Opera production of Sanctuary Road at the Center for the Arts in the role of William Still, a leader on the Underground Railroad who helped more than 800 enslaved people escape to freedom. Based on Still’s 1872 book documenting stories of courage, perseverance, and sacrifice, this new opera by Pulitzer Prize winners composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell has been called “lyrical and historically vibrant” by NPR. Geter’s superb bass-baritone has been celebrated by Opera Today as “very much his own distinct voice, and invigoratingly fresh” and by Northwest Reverb as “amazing to listen to.” Geter made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the GRAMMY Award-winning production of Porgy and Bess.
Multitalented, Geter has done everything from TV acting—including his debut in the role of John Sacks on NBC's Grimm—to conducting and writing, co-authoring the book Music in Context: An Examination of Western European Music Through a Sociopolitical Lens. He serves as Interim Music Director and Artistic Advisor at Portland Opera. Also an acclaimed composer, praised by the Wall Street Journal for his “skillful vocal writing,” Geter serves as Composer-in-Residence at the Richmond Symphony and is creating the score for the co-commission with Virginia Opera of Loving v. Virginia, which will have its world premiere as part of the 2024/2025 season at the Center for the Arts, in conjunction with Virginia opera’s 50th anniversary season. Watch the video below of Geter discussing the opera and the creative process’s beginnings.
In addition to being onstage in Sanctuary Road, Geter will participate in a special Artists in Conversation event co-presented by the City of Fairfax at Old Town Hall on Tuesday, February 6, discussing his song cycle Cotton, inspired by the cotton photography of artist John Dowell, whose works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other galleries. The talk will follow a performance of Cotton by some of Geter’s fellow Sanctuary Road castmates, including mezzo-soprano Tesia Gwarteng—who made her principal debut at the Metropolitan Opera in Brett Dean’s Hamlet and led and sang with the vocal ensemble Vox Noire on the recording of the original film score for The Woman King by Terence Blanchard, starring Viola Davis—and Adam Richardson, who has been lauded by Opera News for his “gorgeous textured baritone” and made his house debut with Opera Philadelphia in Daniel Bernard Roumain's world-premiere opera We Shall Not Be Moved, directed by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones. Geter set the music for Cotton to poems by Black American poets including Nikki Giovanni, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and more.
Asked questions about his works, Geter provided the responses below.
Tell us about your creative process for composing the song cycle Cotton?
“I decided that because this is such an American story, that I wanted to embed quotes from popular American musical songs in the song cycle. A big part of the process for me was trying to figure out what American songs I was going to use and sometimes the text would dictate that. For example, Cotton opens with a spicy harmonization of ‘My Country Tis of Thee,’ one the movements quotes the spiritual ‘Take me to the Water,’ another quotes ‘Deep River,’ and there’s even a quote from a lesser-known song from Appalachia called ‘In Conversation with Death.’ The movements aren’t necessarily crafted around those tunes, but the tunes are hidden in there, sometimes in plain view.
Also, I didn’t go in order, I wrote ‘Cotton in the Arms of the Mountains’ and then I hopped around. I usually like to go in order because of arch but I didn’t do that for this particular song cycle. I would read the poem and whatever I was feeling, I would work on.”
We’re thrilled to be part of the world premiere production of Loving v. Virginia next season here at the Center for the Arts. What has been one of the most rewarding aspects of composing this piece?
“Loving has been challenging for me for a lot of reasons: I’m coming back to my home state, and I want to make sure that Jessica and I do justice to the story because there are actually living descendants affected by this case walking around on the Earth right now. We want to make sure that we do the right thing. I’m constantly challenging myself to make sure we get that part right.
The thing that has surprised me is that this is some of my favorite music that I’ve ever written. This piece has also solidified my love of writing opera; telling stories through this vehicle is a privilege.”
Audiences won't want to miss Geter's upcoming projects. Watch a preview of Geter's vocal talents below in his rendition of "Se vuol ballare" from The Marriage of Figaro:
Virginia Opera's Sanctuary Road is sponsored by The Mather.
Dr. Arnold Stolberg has generously underwritten Virginia Opera’s performances of Cotton.