All Classical Portland and WQXR Partner for Bi–Coastal LIVE Broadcast of World Premiere of Damien Geter's An African American Requiem

Apr 6

The radio stations will simulcast Damien Geter’s first-of-its-kind requiem LIVE from Portland OR, Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 5:50 PM PT/8:50 PM ET, performed by Oregon Symphony and Resonance Ensemble. The program will be syndicated to stations across the USA in June, free of charge.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 6, 2022

PORTLAND, OREGON – All Classical Portland, the Pacific Northwest’s premiere 24-hour classical music radio station, is teaming up with WQXR in New York to present a simultaneous live broadcast of the world premiere of Portland-based composer Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem.

Commissioned by Portland’s Resonance Ensemble, this pivotal work memorializes the lives of Black Americans lost to racial violence in a first-of-its-kind requiem. A collaboration between Damien Geter, Resonance Ensemble, and the Oregon Symphony, the world premiere will be performed at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, OR, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, at 5:50 PM PT (8:50 PM ET). The live broadcast will be available at 89.9 FM in Portland, 105.9 FM in New York, and streaming worldwide at allclassical.org.

“As a Black composer in today’s America, I feel like I've been writing this my entire life,” says Damien Geter. “I was hoping there would be a time we wouldn’t need this piece, but I think we always will. I hope An African American Requiem leads to important action that affects change.”

The requiem includes African American spirituals as well as texts from civil rights activists Ida B. Wells and Jamilia Land. It also highlights words dedicated to Eric Garner, a line from a poem by Antwon Rose, and words written and performed by Portland poet Dr. S. Renee Mitchell.

Originally slated to premiere in April 2020, the requiem was put on hold due to the ongoing global pandemic. The renewed production will feature the Oregon Symphony and the African American Requiem Choir, made up of singers from Resonance Ensemble, Kingdom Sound Gospel Choir, and Portland-based choirs. William Eddins will conduct, and Resonance’s Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon will prepare the chorus. The concert will also feature a quartet of

renowned African American opera singers: Brandie Sutton, soprano; Karmesha Peake, mezzo-soprano; Bernard Holcomb, tenor; and Kenneth Overton, baritone.

The radio broadcast will be co-hosted by Suzanne Nance, All Classical Portland President and CEO, and Terrance McKnight, WQXR’s evening host. All Classical Portland‘s Sarah Zwinklis and WQXR’s Eileen Delahunty will produce the program.

“An African American Requiem and its recent composition for chorus and orchestra is a painful reminder of the horror and ongoing threat of racial apathy and intolerance,” says Terrance McKnight. “It is also a reminder of the power of music to bring us together as a community of concerned and compassionate listeners around the globe. I look forward to bringing the world premiere to our listeners.”

All Classical Portland and WQXR are also partnering to syndicate the program to radio stations across the country, following the world premiere. The syndicated presentation will be available in early June 2022, in time for stations to observe Juneteenth with their own broadcast of the program. More information about syndication can be found at allclassical.org/requiem.

“This is public radio at its best,” says Suzanne Nance. “Amplifying art that reflects our society, and uplifting the powerful work of composers like Damien Geter, is at the heart of our mission at All Classical Portland. We are proud of this collaboration with the performers and New York City’s WQXR. By working together, we will increase the national and global access to an important work, through an unprecedented live broadcast event.”

Damien Geter and Dr. S. Renee Mitchell have collaborated with All Classical Portland in the past. In 2020, the station commissioned and premiered Geter’s String Quartet No. 1 “Neo-Soul.” The same year, Dr. Mitchell was commissioned by the station to author a poem revolving around the words “joy,” legacy,” and “voice.” Her reading of the poem, “Harmonizing with Joy” is currently spotlighted at allclassical.org, as part of National Poetry Month in April.

Those interested in attending the May 7 performance in-person at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall can visit the Oregon Symphony’s website at orsymphony.org for tickets and more information.

To learn more about the live broadcast and All Classical Portland, visit allclassical.org. To learn more about WQXR visit wqxr.org.

DAMIEN GETER, Composer

Damien Geter is a diverse artist whose credits include performances ranging from the operatic stage to the television screen. Damien’s 2019-2020 season includes appearances with the Metropolitan Opera (Undertaker in Porgy and Bess), Seattle Opera (Colonel in The Rising and the Falling), Eugene Opera (Angelotti in Tosca), Resonance Ensemble, and Third Angle New Music (Sanctuaries.) Damien’s 2018-2019 included appearances with Seattle Opera in the role of the Undertaker and covering the role of Jake in Porgy and Bess; and a debut with Vashon Opera in the role of Colline in La Boheme. Damien returned to Portland Opera in the fall of 2018 in the role of Dr. Grenville in Verdi’s La Traviata. (Photo, composition information, and biography: Damien Geter, damiengeter.com)

TERRANCE McKNIGHT, Host

Terrance McKnight is the evening host on WQXR. Terrance is an Artistic Advisor for the Harlem Chamber Players and serves on the board of the Bagby Foundation and the MacDowell Colony. He’s frequently sought out by major cultural organizations for his insight into the cultivation of diverse perspectives and voices in the cultural sphere. He regularly curates concerts and talks at Merkin Concert Hall, the Billie Holiday Theatre the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Museum of Modern Art. (Photo: Matthew Septimus, wqxr.org/people/terrance-mcknight/)

SUZANNE NANCE, Host

Suzanne Nance was recognized as a “2022 Woman of Influence” by Portland Business Journal for her work as the President and CEO of All Classical Portland and the International Children’s Arts Network, and named one of Portland’s “best radio personalities” for her work as host of Sunday Brunch. She is the creator of the Emmy® Award winning TV program MaineArts! and has served as the voice of the internationally syndicated Lyric Opera of Chicago radio series; the Grant Park Music Festival, Milwaukee Symphony, and Bravo! Vail Music Festival radio series.

RESONANCE ENSEMBLE

Resonance Ensemble (commissioners of An African American Requiem) is a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, creating powerful programs that promote meaningful social change. The ensemble works to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and does so through moving, thematic concerts that highlight solo and choral voices, new and underrepresented composers, visual, and other performing artists. Under Artistic Director Dr. Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble performs challenging and diverse music, always with an eye toward unusual collaborations with artistic partners such as poets, jazz musicians, singer-songwriters, painters, and dancers from around Portland. Learn more at resonancechoral.org.

OREGON SYMPHONY

Oregon Symphony, led by Music Director David Danzmayr, is multi-Grammy Award-nominated and ranks as one of America’s major orchestras. It produces several hundred concerts and award-winning education and community programs each year, while innovating on stage through multimedia series such as SoundSights, Sounds of Home and SoundStories. Celebrating its 125th anniversary in the 2021/22 season, Oregon Symphony is committed to building the audiences of tomorrow through breakthrough artistic programs with a wide-ranging coalition of cultural thought-leaders and musical innovators. For more information, visit orsymphony.org.

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Resonance Ensemble