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Press Releases
Composer & Conductor Damien Geter Announces 2025-26 Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mallory McFarland | Morahan Arts and Media
mallory@morahanartsandmedia.com | 646.378.9386
Composer & Conductor Damien Geter Announces 2025-2026 Season
World Premiere of New Opera, Delta King’s Blues, at IN Series from December 6-21
Song Cycle COTTON to be Performed at La Jolla Music Society on January 16
An African American Requiem to be Performed by
Chicago Philharmonic, October 18, and Richmond Symphony, January 17 & 18
Song Amanirenas Continues to Tour Nationally, with Performances by Soprano Karen Slack
at Portland Opera, September 13 & 14, Naples Philharmonic, January 8 & 9,
and Piedmont Opera, June 18
Additional Compositions to be Presented by
Art Song Chicago, Ear Taxi Festival, VocalEssence, and Fresno Philharmonic
Damien Geter Conducts Portland Opera in Verdi Requiem,
Symphony New Hampshire, and Redlands Symphony
Geter Serves as Composer-in-Residence for
Indiana State University’s Contemporary Music Festival and Ear Taxi Festival
“Geter [...] writes beautifully for voices and elegantly for orchestra.” –The New Yorker
“Damien Geter [...] knocked my socks clear off’” –The Washington Post
New York, NY (August 18, 2025) — Acclaimed composer, conductor, and bass-baritone Damien Geter today announces his 2025-2026 season, which includes the world premiere of his new opera The Delta King’s Blues at IN Series, performances of the song cycle COTTON and song Amanirenas, and conducting appearances with Portland Opera, Symphony New Hampshire, and Redlands Symphony. Geter is Richmond Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence through 2026, and Composer-in-Residence for Fall 2025 at both Indiana State University’s Contemporary Music Festival and Ear Taxi Festival. He serves as Music Director for Portland Opera.
From December 6 to 21, 2025, Geter’s brand new opera, The Delta King’s Blues, with a libretto by Jarrod Lee, will be premiered by IN Series in Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The first full opera commissioned by IN Series, this world premiere marks the culmination of a multi-year project to celebrate the legacy of legendary guitarist Robert Johnson with a “blues opera” that tells the Faustian story of the bargain he struck with the devil: selling his immortal soul to learn the language of the blues, America’s original music. An orchestra mix of blues and classical musicians joins a cast of leading artists from around the country for an immersive juke-joint experience that sings, dances, hollers, laughs, and mourns.
Geter’s COTTON will be performed by baritone Justin Austin, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, and pianist Laura Ward at La Jolla Music Society in a co-production with San Diego Opera on January 16, 2026. A spellbinding multimedia song cycle that continues to tour the nation after acclaimed recent performances at the Kennedy Center, 92NY, and Virginia Opera, it brings together the extraordinary cotton photography of John Dowell with newly commissioned poems by renowned poets. COTTON unfolds against the projected backdrop of enormous, constantly evolving images. It is a profound journey that balances tragic history with resilience, hope, and high art. COTTON was conceived and the poetry and music were commissioned by Lyric Fest (Philadelphia).
Geter’s acclaimed An African American Requiem will see its Midwest premiere at the Chicago Philharmonic on October 18, 2025. Richmond Symphony will also perform the work on January 17 and 18. An African American Requiem is a 90-minute, twenty-movement work based on the traditional Latin requiem liturgy, infusing spirituals and modern declarations relating to racial violence against African Americans, as well as a setting of Ida B. Wells’ speech, Lynching is Color Line Murder.
His “powerful” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) song Amanirenas, commissioned by soprano Karen Slack for her African Queens art song program, with text by Lorene Cary, continues to tour nationally at Portland Opera on September 13 and 14, 2025, with the Naples Philharmonic on January 8 and 9, 2026 in its orchestral premiere, and at Piedmont Opera on June 18, 2026. In the song – praised for its “explosive vocal writing” by Washington Classical Review – Amanirenas, the one-eyed queen of Kush, warns her daughter about warriorship.
Additional works by Geter are to be presented by Art Song Chicago on September 6, 2025, Ear Taxi Festival on October 4, 2025, VocalEssence on February 22, 2026, and Fresno Philharmonic on April 11 and 12, 2026.
As a conductor, Damien Geter leads Symphony New Hampshire’s Holiday Pops concert on December 13, 2025, the Redlands Symphony on April 11, 2026, in works by Britten, Copeland, and Teresa Carreño, and Portland Opera for Verdi’s Requiem on May 16, 2026.
Damien Geter is an acclaimed American composer whose rapidly growing body of work includes chamber, vocal, orchestral, and full operatic works. Praised by The New Yorker for writing “beautifully for voices and elegantly for orchestra,” his “emotionally driven” (Opera) compositions are widely hailed for their “skillful vocal writing” (Wall Street Journal). Geter is Richmond Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence through 2026, and Composer-in-Residence for Fall 2025 at both Indiana State University’s Contemporary Music Festival and Ear Taxi Festival. He serves as Music Director for Portland Opera.
Last season marked the world premiere of Geter’s critically acclaimed Loving v. Virginia, featuring a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo, which concluded Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season. Based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the opera – hailed as “nothing short of a masterpiece” by Operawire and “one of the most successful new operas of the decade” by Washington Classical Review – was co-commissioned by Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony, co-produced by Virginia Opera and Minnesota Opera. His commissioned song, Gentle lady, do not sing, was included on the Choral Scholars University College Dublin’s album, Music by James Joyce, Volume I (September 2024, Signum Classics). He conducted performances of Paul Moravec’s opera The Shining, based on Stephen King’s iconic novel, at Portland Opera, and Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s Opening Night Gala, America the Beautiful concert.
Concert Information
Songs of Peace Concert
Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University | 430 S Michigan Ave | Chicago, IL
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Link: https://www.artsongchicago.org/concert-ii
Program features works by Damien Geter and others.
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Karen Slack: African Queens
Patricia Reser Center for the Arts | 12625 SW Crescent St | Beaverton, OR
September 13 & 14, 2025
Link: https://www.portlandopera.org/performances-tickets/25-26-season/karen-slack-african-queens/
DAMIEN GETER: Amanirenas
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Composer Showcase Featuring Quintet Attacca
Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts | 915 East 60th Street | Chicago, IL
Saturday, October 4, 2025
Link: https://www.eartaxifestival.com/full-schedule/cs-oct4
DAMIEN GETER: I Said What I Said
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World Premiere: Invictus & An African American Requiem
Harris Theater for Music and Dance | 205 E Randolph Street | Chicago, IL
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Link: https://chicagophilharmonic.org/events/ear-taxi-festival-performance-2025/?l=L1&ri=0
DAMIEN GETER: An African American Requiem (Midwest premiere)
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The Delta King’s Blues (World Premiere)
Pop-Up Theater | 340 Maple Drive SW | Washington, DC
December 6 - 14, 2025
2640 Space | 2640 St Paul St | Baltimore, MD
December 19 - 21, 2025
Link: https://www.inseries.org/post/thedeltakingsblues
DAMIEN GETER: The Delta King’s Blues (world premiere)
Libretto by Jarrod Lee
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Holiday Pops
Keefe Center for the Arts | 117 Elm St | Nashua, NH
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Link: https://symphonynh.org/upcoming/holiday-pops
Damien Geter, conductor
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New World Symphony
Hayes Hall | 5833 Pelican Bay Boulevard | Naples, FL
January 8 & 9, 2026
Link: https://artisnaples.org/events/masterworks.2526.4
DAMIEN GETER: Amanirenas (orchestral premiere)
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COTTON
Baker-Baum Concert Hall, Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center | 7600 Fay Ave | La Jolla, CA
Friday, January 16, 2026
Link: https://theconrad.org/events/cotton/
DAMIEN GETER: COTTON
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Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem
Carpenter Theatre | 612 East Grace Street | Richmond , VA
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Sunday, January 18, 2025
Link: https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/damien-geters-an-african-american-requiem/2026-01-17/
https://www.richmondsymphony.com/event/damien-geters-an-african-american-requiem/2026-01-18/
DAMIEN GETER: An African American Requiem
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VocalEssence WITNESS: Symphony of Spirituals
Northrop, University of Minnesota | 84 Church St SE | Minneapolis, MN
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Link: https://www.vocalessence.org/event/concert-witness-symphony-of-spirituals/
DAMIEN GETER: The Justice Symphony
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Finding Tranquility
Memorial Chapel, University of Redlands | 101 Chapel St | Redlands, CA
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Link: https://www.redlandssymphony.com/finding-tranquility
BENJAMIN BRITTEN: Sinfonietta, Op. 1
TERESA CARREÑO: Ángel Mestizo
AARON COPLAND: Appalachian Spring Suite
Damien Geter, conductor
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Tchaikovsky's Fifth
Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall, CUSD Performing Arts Center | 2770 E International Ave | Fresno, CA
April 11 & 12, 2026
Link: https://fresnophil.org/events/tchaikovskys-fifth/
DAMIEN GETER: Sinfonia Americana
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Verdi’s Requiem
Keller Auditorium | 222 SW Clay St | Portland, OR
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Link: https://www.portlandopera.org/performances-tickets/25-26-season/verdi-s-requiem/
VERDI: Requiem
Damien Geter, conductor
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Karen Slack’s African Queens
Piedmont Opera | 636 Holly Ave NW | Winston-Salem, NC
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Link: https://www.piedmontopera.org/african-queens
DAMIEN GETER: Amanirenas
About Damien Geter
Damien Geter is an acclaimed American composer whose rapidly growing body of work includes chamber, vocal, orchestral, and full operatic works. Praised by The New Yorker for writing “beautifully for voices and elegantly for orchestra,” his “emotionally driven” (Opera) compositions are widely hailed for their “skillful vocal writing” (Wall Street Journal). Geter is Richmond Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence through 2026, and Composer-in-Residence for Fall 2025 at both Indiana State University’s Contemporary Music Festival and Ear Taxi Festival. He serves as Music Director for Portland Opera.
In the 2025-2026 season, Geter’s brand new opera, Delta King’s Blues, with a libretto by Jarrod Lee, will be premiered by IN Series in Washington, DC, and Baltimore. The first full opera commissioned by IN Series, it celebrates the legacy of legendary guitarist Robert Johnson with a “blues opera” that tells the Faustian story of the bargain he struck with the devil: selling his immortal soul to learn the language of the blues. Geter’s song Amanirenas, commissioned by soprano Karen Slack for her African Queens art song program, continues to tour nationally at the Portland and Piedmont Operas, as well as the Naples Philharmonic in its orchestral premiere. His song cycle COTTON will be performed by Justin Austin, J’Nai Bridges, and Laura Ward at La Jolla Music Society. Additionally, Richmond Symphony premieres his Loving v. Virginia Suite, the Chicago Philharmonic and Richmond Symphony present An African American Requiem, Ear Taxi Festival presents I Said What I Said, VocalEssence presents The Justice Symphony, and Fresno Philharmonic performs Sinfonia Americana.
As a conductor, Geter leads Portland Opera in Verdi’s Requiem, joins Symphony New Hampshire to lead their Holiday Pops concert, and conducts Redlands Symphony in works by Britten, Copeland, and Teresa Carreño.
Last season marked the world premiere of Geter’s critically acclaimed Loving v. Virginia, featuring a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo, which concluded Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary season. Based on the true story of Mildred and Richard Loving, the opera – hailed as “nothing short of a masterpiece” by Operawire and “one of the most successful new operas of the decade” by Washington Classical Review – was co-commissioned by Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony, co-produced by Virginia Opera and Minnesota Opera. His commissioned song, Gentle lady, do not sing, was included on the Choral Scholars University College Dublin’s album, Music by James Joyce, Volume I (September 2024, Signum Classics). He conducted performances of Paul Moravec’s opera The Shining, based on Stephen King’s iconic novel, at Portland Opera, and Carmel Symphony Orchestra’s Opening Night Gala, America the Beautiful concert.
In the 2023-24 season, Des Moines Metro Opera presented the full-length world premiere of Geter’s opera, American Apollo, to critical acclaim. Opera Now proclaimed Geter’s orchestrations created “a kaleidoscopic ‘American Impressionism’, with borrowings from other genres of the time, creating a diverse palate to accommodate the vivid characters” and Opera Today stated the composer’s “sound palette and approach is very much his own distinct amalgamated voice.”
In 2022, Geter had six premieres as a composer, including his large work, An African American Requiem, in partnership with Resonance Ensemble and the Oregon Symphony with subsequent performances at the Kennedy Center; I Said What I Said for Imani Winds, co-commissioned by Anima Mundi Productions, Chamber Music Northwest, and The Oregon Bach Festival; his one-act opera Holy Ground for Glimmerglass Opera; Elegy for the American Guild of Organists; The Bronze Legacy for Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and the chamber version of American Apollo for Des Moines Metro Opera.
Favorite highlights from recent seasons include: Chicago Symphony Orchestra programming his Annunciation; Richmond Symphony premiering Sinfonia Americana; COTTON’s premieres in Washington, DC, at The Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts, and New York at the 92nd Street Y; Oregon Bach Festival presenting his new Bach transcription after Prelude and Fugue No. 2 in C Minor from The Well-Tempered Clavier; the Recording Inclusivity Initiative recordeing String Quartet No. 1 “Neo-Soul”; conducting his own An African American Requiem at Fort Worth Opera; conducting at Portland Opera the performance ABSENCE: Terence Blanchard plus the West Coast premiere of Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day; the commissions Cantata for a Hopeful Tomorrow for The Washington Chorus with subsequent performances at Pacific Chorale, Choral Arts Northwest, Bethune Cookman University, Northern Arizona University, Southwestern University, and Berkshire Choral International; The Justice Symphony for the University of Michigan with subsequent performances with The Washington Chorus at the Kennedy Center; Buh-roke for the Portland Baroque Orchestra; and Invisible for Opera Theater Oregon.
Geter has been recognized by the Library of Virginia with its honorary Patron of Letters degree, was honored at the 2025 Strong Men & Women in Virginia History awards presented by Dominion Energy and the Library of Virginia, and was selected as a 2025 BRAVO! honoree by the Chesterfield Education Foundation.
He is an alumnus of the Austrian American Mozart Festival and the Aspen Opera Center, and was a semifinalist for the Irma Cooper Vocal Competition. He toured with the prestigious American Spiritual Ensemble, a group that helps promote preserving the American art form of the spiritual.
Damien Geter hosts the podcast ARTillery and is the owner of DG Music, Sans Fear Publishing. Music in Context: An Examination of Western European Music Through a Sociopolitical Lens, the book he co-authored, is available on Amazon or directly from the publisher, Kendall Hunt.
Learn more at www.damiengetermusic.com.
Photo at top of release by Rachel Hadiashar
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