I was a bit skeptical that the theme of Robert Johnson’s life, the man who created the blues and the basis for rock and roll, would be a subject which lent itself to an opera. How wrong I was! The Faustian idea of selling one’s soul to the Devil in exchange for music immortality is a natural for an opera. {…}
(Photo credit: Rachel Hadiashar) Two likeminded creative souls, while working in the production of the Met’s “Porgy and Bess,” met over coffee, serendipitously, decided to collaborate on a work based on the life of Robert Johnson, and the legend surrounding his life. The resulting opera is “Delta King Blues” and the men in question are composer Damien Geter and librettist Jarrod {…}
IN Series is set to present the world premiere of “The Delta King’s Blues” this December in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The new blues opera by composer Damien Geter and librettist Jarrod Lee is set in a juke-joint environment and is inspired by the legend of Delta blues musician Robert Johnson, who made a fateful deal with the devil. “My {…}
Damien Geter is the new Music Director of the Portland Opera. Geter, a singer, composer, and conductor, has held the interim music director tag for four years; he was appointed to the position back in 2021. In 2025-26, his song “Amanirenas” will be featured in Karen Slack’s recital “African Queens” in September. Additionally, he will conduct Verdi’s Requiem to close {…}
IN Series announces its 2025-26 season, “IN Principio” consists solely of premiering works. The world premiere staging of the Baroque work, “St John the Baptist” opens the season. Local singers perform in collaboration with New York’s Catapult Opera and Baltimore-based designers. Performance Dates: October 4 – 19, 2025 Marking IN Series’ first fully commissioned opera, “Delta King’s Blues” is an {…}
In 1959, Richard Loving, a white man, and his wife Mildred Loving, a woman of color were convicted of violating the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 in Virginia. They were sentenced to prison by Judge Leon M. Bazile, but the sentence was suspended on the condition that they leave their home state and never return. The Lovings appealed their case {…}
IN Series is set to present the first musical reading of Damien Geter and Jarrod Lee’s “Delta King’s Blues.” The reading, set for Jan. 26, 2025, at 4 p.m. at the MLK Library Auditorium in Washington D.C., will feature Curtis Bannister as Robert Johnson, Carl Dupont as the Devil, Melissa Wimbish as Virginia, Marvin Wayne Allen III as Willy, and {…}
Composer, conductor, and bass-baritone Damien Geter has joined renowned agency Visconti Arts’ roster. Geter is currently Composer-in-Residence at the Richmond Symphony through 2026 and is Interim Music Director and Artistic Advisor at Portland Opera. His new opera, “Loving v. Virginia” is set to feature in Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season. He also has another work, “Delta King’s Blues” in the {…}
Portland Opera has announced its selections for the company’s Resident Artist program for the 2024-25 season. The artists in residence for the 60th anniversary season are soprano Ginaia Black, mezzo-soprano Erin Roth Thomas, tenor Nathaniel Catasca, and baritone Matthew Maisano. Collaborative pianist Claire Forstman returns for a second year. For eight months, the residents will study with primary vocal coach Paul {…}
The Celebrity Series of Boston has released the details of its 2024-25 Neighborhood Arts season. Neighborhood Arts partners with the Mission Hill Arts Festival for the third year this summer to present free concerts and arts education events across Boston. In a press release, Robin Baker, Associate Director of Community Engagement, says, “We invite you to experience the rich tapestry {…}
(Photo credit: Gillian Riesen & Rachel Hadiashar) Justin Austin, the 2024 Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, is set to star in the New York premiere of Damien Geter’s “COTTON.” The multimedia work presents African American stories through song, poetry, and photography. It is inspired by photographer John E. Dowell’s haunting images of South Carolina cotton fields, captured in his 2018 {…}