The Battle of Atlanta is a cyclorama work of visual art representing the lost cause of the American Civil War. It currently resides in the Atlanta History Museum. Created by immigrants to reflect the conflict between the north and the south the canvas focuses on race and the history of economic oppression in the U.S. In the opera, the characters from the immersive cyclorama will be animated to tell the story of America’s evolution with race. The characters who experience this painting will reflect through it on their own lives.
Damien Geter, Composer
Damien Geter, an operatic bass, Damien has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and several regional companies across the nation.
The Battle of atlanta The Proposal
Lila Palmer, Librettist
Lila Palmer is a librettist and mezzo-soprano holding degrees in History, Vocal Performance and Opera Making from Cambridge, New England Conservatory & the Guildhall School of Music and Drama respectively.
Curator discussion
with Leigh Rondon-Davis, Jonathan Khuner & Michael Morgan
Artist Interviews:
The Battle of Atlanta
InFocus Issue 20
The Battle of Atlanta
Creators Journal
Selvies
Sessions
Mini Doc
Libretto Reading
Battle of Atlanta
Sing Sample
Get to know them: First Opera Stories
previous work samples
Composer Damien Geter introduces
The Talk: Instructions for Black Children When They Interact With the Police
Composer Damien Geter introduces an Excerpt from
"1619"
Librettist Lila Palmer introduces
"Scraww"
Excerpt from
The Talk: Instructions for Black Children When They Interact With the Police
Excerpt from
"1619"
Excerpt from "Scraww"
damien geter bio:
ComposerDamien Geter infuses classical music with various styles from the African diaspora to create music that furthers the cause for social justice. Commission credits include Resonance Ensemble, The University of Michigan, The Washington Chorus, Washington National Opera as a part of their American Opera Initiative, and Opera Theater Oregon among others. His large work for choir and orchestra, An African American Requiem is due to be performed in 2022 with Resonance Ensemble and the Oregon Symphony. An operatic bass, Damien has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, and several regional companies across the nation.
lila palmer Bio:
Lila Palmer is a librettist and mezzo-soprano holding degrees in History, Vocal Performance and Opera Making from Cambridge, New England Conservatory & the Guildhall School of Music and Drama respectively. She is an alumnus of ENO’s Operaworks & a fellow of the GSMD and was an artist of Tapestry Opera Toronto’s LIBLAB2018 intensive. She is a current artist-in-residence with American Lyric Theater, NYC. Lila has an active practice in creating story events for museum interpretation. Upcoming commissions include Splintered, a Nutcracker choose-your-own-opera adventure with Justine Chen & Jorge Sosa; a song cycle for soprano Golda Schultz; American Apollo with Damien Geter for WNO; Opera Murder Club, a performance installation for LA Opera with Tamar-Kali; and a podcast opera for Spitalfields Music curated by Errolyn Wallen.
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Recent opera commissions include These Wandering Streets, (Barbican Centre, May 2019); Dead Equal (Army@The Fringe, August 2019); Herlife Frauenliebe (IAMIAMIAM Collective, September 2019); In Her Own Valley Liverpool Philharmonic (2020). Previous chamber opera and theatre commissions include Harbour (2015); Two-Step (2016); Sunshine Girl (2017); Changing Stations (2017); Heard (2017); The Jewel Merchants (2017); The Reckoning (2018) Bloodlines (2018) Scraww (2018). Of her first opera, Harbour was hailed by The Times (London) as ‘a work of strange, Celtic beauty that transforms anguish to art.’ As a writer & dramaturg she has worked with organisations including Helios Collective, Wigmore Hall, Boston Opera Collaborative, workshOpera, Roman River Festival, Bethlem Gallery, The Museum of London, NCO, Trebah Gardens, Arts for Change & The Sounding Board.
She was a co-founder and vocal soloist of Four Corners Assembly, an international contemporary music ensemble, and has lectured and led workshops in contemporary opera making and art song collaboration with the GSMD and Wigmore Hall.