This artistic milestone reflects my longstanding commitment to interpreting modern and contemporary classical repertoire, which I attribute to the mentorship of Voice Professor Emerita Dr. Dorothy Crum of Wichita State University and renowned composer and conductor Professor Emeritus Gerhard Samuel of the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati. Both of these academics affirmed my aptitude for 21st-century classical music, which further developed my artistic voice and paved the way for 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 Glass. Prior to Book of Longing, I also performed with the Auckland Chamber Orchestra in New Zealand as bass soloist in Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14.  In 2015, I received 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 significant international credit in modern repertoire was 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.

Beyond these engagements, I have interpreted works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Kurt Weill, and other leading modern and contemporary composers, reflecting both my deep understanding of and enduring commitment to championing this repertoire.