Co-presented by the City of Fairfax and the Center for the Arts at George Mason University

Part of Virginia Opera’s 2nd annual Pride in Black Voices program as well as a free, open-to-the-public presentation of the Friends of the Center for the Arts Artists in Conversation Series, this event features a performance of composer Damien Geter’s moving song cycle inspired by the haunting “Cotton” photography of acclaimed artist John Dowell, whose works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other galleries. Each song in the cycle features the poetry of Nikki Giovanni, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and other Black American poets, and explores the Black American journey seen through the lens of the cotton industry, making it a poignant exploration of history and culture. The Philadelphia Inquirer notes the work “promises to pack a punch.” 

FREE, but registration required [link to be posted at cfa.gmu.edu] 

Cotton is underwritten by Dr. Arnold Stolberg.