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DAMIEN GETER (B. 1981)
Symphony No. 1, The Justice Symphony | For Orchestra, chorus and Soprano solo

Damien Geter is an acclaimed composer who infuses classical music with various styles from the black diaspora to create music that furthers the cause for social justice, as well as a celebrated bass-baritone – “Possessed of a rolling, resonant voice even at the lowest register” (Northwest Reverb) – whose credits include performances from the operatic stage to the television screen.

Damien’s growing body of compositions includes chamber, vocal, orchestral, and now full operatic works. His song cycle Cotton had its world premiere at Lyric Fest, and he had his motet performed by Emmanuel Music. He also conducted his own piece An African American Requiem at Fort Worth Opera and ABSENCE: Terence Blanchard with Portland Opera. Future commissions include premieres at Seattle Opera and Emmanuel Music, and World Premiere full operatic productions in 2024, 2025, and 2026 at Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, InSeries Opera, and Portland Opera. Geter will also have subsequent premieres at Richmond Symphony, where he is the composer in residence through 2025.

Geter had six premieres as a composer in 2022: 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.

Geter made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the Grammy award-winning production of Porgy and Bess as the Undertaker. This season, Mr. Geter’s performance credits include Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden with Hawaii Opera Theatre, and concert credits entail Handel’s Messiah with North Carolina Symphony as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fresno Philharmonic.

Last season, Geter performed the title role of Quamino in the World Premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s Quamino’s Map with Chicago Opera Theatre, as well as Angelotti in Tosca with Portland Opera, and Sam in Reno Symphony’s Voices of a Nation: Trouble in Tahiti. In concert, Geter performed as the bass soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the Richmond Symphony, and in the role of William Still in Sanctuary Road with the Oakland Symphony.

Damien is an alum of the Austrian American Mozart Festival, as well as the Aspen Opera Center. He was a semifinalist for the Irma Cooper Vocal Competition. In 2012, he toured with the prestigious American Spiritual Ensemble, a group that helps to promote the preservation of the American art form - the spiritual.

Damien currently serves as the Artistic Advisor for Resonance Ensemble and Portland Opera, where he is also Music Director. He 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 about Damien at www.damiengetermusic.com.

DAMIEN GETER (B. 1981)
Symphony No. 1, The Justice Symphony | For Orchestra, chorus and Soprano solo

Damien Geter is an acclaimed composer who infuses classical music with various styles from the black diaspora to create music that furthers the cause for social justice, as well as a celebrated bass-baritone – “Possessed of a rolling, resonant voice even at the lowest register” (Northwest Reverb) – whose credits include performances from the operatic stage to the television screen.

Damien’s growing body of compositions includes chamber, vocal, orchestral, and now full operatic works. His song cycle Cotton had its world premiere at Lyric Fest, and he had his motet performed by Emmanuel Music. He also conducted his own piece An African American Requiem at Fort Worth Opera and ABSENCE: Terence Blanchard with Portland Opera. Future commissions include premieres at Seattle Opera and Emmanuel Music, and World Premiere full operatic productions in 2024, 2025, and 2026 at Seattle Opera, Virginia Opera, InSeries Opera, and Portland Opera. Geter will also have subsequent premieres at Richmond Symphony, where he is the composer in residence through 2025.

Geter had six premieres as a composer in 2022: 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.

Geter made his Metropolitan Opera debut in the Grammy award-winning production of Porgy and Bess as the Undertaker. This season, Mr. Geter’s performance credits include Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden with Hawaii Opera Theatre, and concert credits entail Handel’s Messiah with North Carolina Symphony as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fresno Philharmonic.

Last season, Geter performed the title role of Quamino in the World Premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s Quamino’s Map with Chicago Opera Theatre, as well as Angelotti in Tosca with Portland Opera, and Sam in Reno Symphony’s Voices of a Nation: Trouble in Tahiti. In concert, Geter performed as the bass soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for the Richmond Symphony, and in the role of William Still in Sanctuary Road with the Oakland Symphony.

Damien is an alum of the Austrian American Mozart Festival, as well as the Aspen Opera Center. He was a semifinalist for the Irma Cooper Vocal Competition. In 2012, he toured with the prestigious American Spiritual Ensemble, a group that helps to promote the preservation of the American art form - the spiritual.

Damien currently serves as the Artistic Advisor for Resonance Ensemble and Portland Opera, where he is also Music Director. He 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 about Damien at www.damiengetermusic.com.