"Ferrante's music is focused and colorful . . . with an unexpected, decidedly poetic touch."
Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun
Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun
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Damon Ferrante is a Simkins Award-winning composer, guitarist, and music writer. He has had performances throughout the US, Europe, and Asia, most notably, Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, and Guild Hall. Deeply committed to artistic collaboration, Ferrante has worked with world-class instrumentalists, singers, poets, dance companies, visual artists, and theater companies. His two operas, 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, 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 VCME, 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. Damon Ferrante has written two operas, a guitar concerto, song cycles, orchestral music, works for dance, and numerous solo and chamber music works.
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."
In 2003, Damon Ferrante founded Steeplechase Arts & Productions, a company integrating innovation, tradition, and collaboration between music and the arts. As director of Steeplechase, Ferrante has presented concerts and operas throughout the United States. Now in its fifteenth year, the company has expanded its artistic efforts to include a robust music publishing wing. The publications, which include classical music scores and music instruction guides and courses, are available throughout the world. These publications have sold over 750,000 copies.
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."
In 2003, Damon Ferrante founded Steeplechase Arts & Productions, a company integrating innovation, tradition, and collaboration between music and the arts. As director of Steeplechase, Ferrante has presented concerts and operas throughout the United States. Now in its fifteenth year, the company has expanded its artistic efforts to include a robust music publishing wing. The publications, which include classical music scores and music instruction guides and courses, are available throughout the world. These publications have sold over 750,000 copies.
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"Damon has a narrative gene that allows him to write music like a great novelist."
Daniel Mark Epstein, Baltimore City Paper