My artistic work with Philip is indicative of my longstanding history of interpreting modern and contemporary classical works, well before it was in vogue for classical artists to embrace such repertoire.

In 1996–1997, during my graduate training at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), I was fortunate to coach with renowned composer and conductor Professor Emeritus Gerhard Samuel, who warmly affirmed my aptitude for 21st-century classical music. That early foundation and affirmation of my musicianship and artistic voice fortified my abilities and paved the way to a series of significant opportunities in modern repertoire.

My portrayals of a slave in David Lang’s The Difficulty of Crossing a Field and of Tiresias in Harry Partch’s Oedipus Rex — both presented at Peak Performances@Montclair State University — quickly led to my work with Philip. Additionally, leading up to BOL (Book of Longing), I was engaged with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra in New Zealand, where I sang as bass soloist in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14.

By 2015, I was honored to receive a direct invitation from Il Teatro dell’Opera di Roma to portray Dewain in John Adams’ I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, which was stage directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and conducted by Alexander Briger.

Another international credit in modern repertoire is my portrayal of Crown in George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess at the prestigious Sächsische Staatsoper “Semperoper” (Dresden, Germany), Komische Oper (Berlin, Germany), Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Düsseldorf, Germany), and Theater 11 (Zürich, Switzerland) with New York Harlem Theatre.

Other works by esteemed modern and contemporary classical figures that I have interpreted include those of Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weill, and others, reflecting my deep understanding of and commitment to championing modern and contemporary classical repertoire.