Damon Ferrante is a Simkins Award-winning composer, guitarist, producer, and author. His music has been performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, most notably, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, and Guild Hall. The movements, cycles, structures, and ecological balance of forces found in the natural world significantly inform his music.
Deeply committed to artistic collaboration, Ferrante has worked with world-class instrumentalists, singers, poets, dance companies, visual artists, and theater companies. His two operas, Hemmings Jefferson Poe and Super Double Lite, have been widely performed. Ferrante has written the film scores for Gabriela Jaime's Flor (Spain), Sonya Zolotaryovais's White Winter (Japan), and is working on the scores for several new films. He was appointed composer-in-residence for Montauk, New York for five years (funded by New York State Council for the Arts). His successful series brought world-famous composers, such as Mark Adamo, Anthony Davis, Victoria Bond, David Del Tredici, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Robert Aldridge, to Montauk for performances and talks on their operas and music. He has been the subject of feature articles in the Baltimore Sun, Baltimore City Paper, Seven Days, The East Hampton Star, and Johns Hopkins Magazine, and has appeared several times on National Public Radio. Ferrante has taught on the music faculties at Seton Hall University and Montclair State University. The Cignus Ensemble, Anderson/Fader Guitar Duo, Guild Hall, John Drew Theater, Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music, the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble, and Theater Project are among the many artists and institutions that have commissioned works from Damon Ferrante. His main teachers have been David Rakowski at Columbia University and Bruno Amato at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun calls Ferrante's music "focused and colorful with an unexpected, decidedly poetic touch." Geoffrey Himes of Baltimore City Paper states, "If the tune has the elegance of traditional opera, the harmonization is very modern as the vocal lines climb and descend the melodic staircases that Ferrante has constructed for them." During the month of its New York premiere, Anne Midgette, writing in the New York Times, cited Ferrante's opera Jefferson and Poe as one the three operas to see in Manhattan. Mary MacCauley of the Baltimore Sun describes his music as "ebullient and full of shifts of direction." Betsy Murphy of the Ridgewood News calls him "a star on the rise." For additional information about Damon Ferrante's performances click here. |
Career Highlights
- The Footbridge: A Symphony for Classical Guitar Duo: Symphony Space, McNeir Hall of Georgetown University, Washington College, St. Mark's Church, Bennington College, Spectrum NYC Concert Series, Longwood University, Round Chuch, LiveSOUNDS NYC
- Hemings Jefferson Poe: A Lyric Opera in Two Acts: performed at Symphony Space, Theatre Project, Longwood University
- Toward Home: An Evening-Length Dance Work: performed at Guild Hall, Baryshnikov Arts Center
- Damon Ferrante receives the Simkins Award from Longwood University for his achievements in music
- The Mountain & Tidewater Songs: A Song Cycle for Baritone Voice & Piano Trio: performed at Carnegie Hall, Guild Hall, Stony Brook University
- Dreaming Cities: Piano Trio: performed at McNeir Hall of Georgetown University; Institut Bacelones D'Art; Institut d'Estudis Nord-Americans, Spain
- Super Double Lite: A Comic / Tragic Opera in Two Acts: performed at Symphony Space, Theatre Project
- Snow Moon: Piano Sonata: performed at St. John's College, McNeir Hall of Georgetown University, Guild Hall, Franklin & Marshall College
- Flor: Film Score: screening at Museo de Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires
- Divinità Minori ("little gods"): Thirteen Dance Preludes for Classical Guitar: Centro di Cultura Italiana Firenze; Istanbul Guitar Festival; Avola Concerts in Avola, Italy; Village Trip Concerts, NYC; Guitar Concerts Bosnia-Herzegovina; New York Classical Guitar Society
- From Out of Air: Songs for Soprano: Johns Hopkins University
- Beyond the Line of Blue: Songs for Tenor Voice & Classical Guitar Duo: Longwood University, McNeir Hall of Georgetown University
- Encircled by the Flight of a Bird: Violin, Cello & Two Classical Guitars: The Morgan Library NYC, UC Sacramento - Festival of New American Music
- Hemings Jefferson Poe: A Lyric Opera in Two Acts: performed at Symphony Space, Theatre Project, Longwood University
- Toward Home: An Evening-Length Dance Work: performed at Guild Hall, Baryshnikov Arts Center
- Damon Ferrante receives the Simkins Award from Longwood University for his achievements in music
- The Mountain & Tidewater Songs: A Song Cycle for Baritone Voice & Piano Trio: performed at Carnegie Hall, Guild Hall, Stony Brook University
- Dreaming Cities: Piano Trio: performed at McNeir Hall of Georgetown University; Institut Bacelones D'Art; Institut d'Estudis Nord-Americans, Spain
- Super Double Lite: A Comic / Tragic Opera in Two Acts: performed at Symphony Space, Theatre Project
- Snow Moon: Piano Sonata: performed at St. John's College, McNeir Hall of Georgetown University, Guild Hall, Franklin & Marshall College
- Flor: Film Score: screening at Museo de Arte Latinamericano de Buenos Aires
- Divinità Minori ("little gods"): Thirteen Dance Preludes for Classical Guitar: Centro di Cultura Italiana Firenze; Istanbul Guitar Festival; Avola Concerts in Avola, Italy; Village Trip Concerts, NYC; Guitar Concerts Bosnia-Herzegovina; New York Classical Guitar Society
- From Out of Air: Songs for Soprano: Johns Hopkins University
- Beyond the Line of Blue: Songs for Tenor Voice & Classical Guitar Duo: Longwood University, McNeir Hall of Georgetown University
- Encircled by the Flight of a Bird: Violin, Cello & Two Classical Guitars: The Morgan Library NYC, UC Sacramento - Festival of New American Music