Damien Geter's 'An African American Requiem'

• Resonance Ensemble
• NEWorks Voices of America (NVoA)
• NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra
• Jacqueline Echols, soprano
• Karmesha Peake, mezzo-soprano
• Kenneth Overton, baritone

Portland composer Damien Geter’s bold, thought-provoking musical response to violence against African Americans in the United States receives it’s east-coast premiere at the Kennedy Center. Commissioned by the Portland-based Resonance Ensemble, Geter's An African American Requiem infuses the traditional Latin requiem with spirituals, modern declarations relating to racial violence against African Americans, as well as a setting of Ida B. Wells’s speech "Lynching is Color Line Murder" and the famous last words of Eric Garner, "I can’t breathe."

Please review the Kennedy Center's current COVID-19 policy details and requirements at https://www.kennedy-center.org/visit/covid-safety/ before attending this event.

About Choral Arts Society of Washington

https://choralarts.org/

About Resonance Ensemble

Resonance Ensemble, a professional vocal ensemble based in Portland, Oregon, creates powerful programs that promote meaningful social change. Resonance works to amplify voices that have long been silenced, and they do so through moving, thematic concerts that highlight solo and choral voices, new music by composers and poets whose stories have been underrepresented on the concert stage, visual and other performing artists, and community partners.

About NEWorks Voices of America (NVoA)

https://neworksproductions.com/ensembles

About NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra

https://neworksproductions.com/ensembles

About Jacqueline Echols, soprano

Lyric soprano Jacqueline Echols has been praised for her "dynamic range and vocal acrobatics" (Classical Voice) in theaters across the United States.

About Karmesha Peake, mezzo-soprano

https://www.karmeshapeake.com/

About Kenneth Overton, baritone

https://www.kennethoverton.com/