On April 18, two of music’s most compelling vocal artists – mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and baritone Justin Austin – bring the immersive concert work COTTON to our stage. Inspired by Philadelphia-based photographer John Dowell’s images of South Carolina cotton fields, with music by Damien Geter, pianist Laura Ward, and original poems by Nikki Giovanni, Afaa Michael Weaver, Marc Bamuthi Joseph and others, the work tells a story of African American struggle and resilience through song, photography, and poetry. COTTON was commissioned and premiered by Philadelphia’s Lyric Fest in February 2023, and later performed to acclaim at the Kennedy Center. The 92NY performance marks its New York premiere. Ahead of the event, Justin Austin sat down to talk with us about the work, the words in it that speak most powerfully to him, collaborating with the world-renowned Graves, and more.
Please tell us about COTTON and what made you want to be part of it.
COTTON is a collection of stories telling one story of Black people in this country. It’s a truly American story based on the photographs of John Dowell – an American treasure. The photographs became the inspiration for poems by American poets ranging from a teenage college student to the great Nikki Giovanni, set to music by acclaimed, still rising American composer Damien Geter (I’m a huge fan), performed by two generations of American artists in Denyce and myself, each of us offering unique perspectives on the same topic. It’s a deep and extraordinarily collaborative work, and an amazing example of what American artists can create. As someone who really celebrates what it means to be an American artist, it’s an honor to be part of it.
Please talk a bit about the photographs that became the catalyst for this work – John Dowell’s Philadelphia exhibition, COTTON: The Soft, Dangerous Beauty of the Past. Can you give us a sense of the images and the story behind them?
The images are arresting. John is an older man and a Black man, and he had never visited the cotton fields – something that is such an important part of the fabric of being Black in America. He felt it was important for him to get in touch with his roots. Photographing the fields wasn’t his intention. He just went to see what they evoked and was struck by how ironically beautiful they were. He ended up creating these works of art that tell a very special story about the US and about Black people. The photos aren’t in the realm of realism, they’re works of art themselves – photographs of cotton superimposed over images of Wall Street, a plantation side by side with Harlem wall art – the images are part of the stage production, and they are gripping.
The words that tell COTTON’s stories are from eight contemporary American poets. Among the lyrics you sing, is there a line or two that resonates most for you?
Honestly, every one of the poems is close to my heart, even the ones I don’t sing. But yes. There’s one line from the very first song that I think about all the time because I find new meaning in it the longer I live with it: cotton weeps power from the pores of a powder blue sky. Those words are by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and one of the prime qualities of the music that accompanies the words is Damien Geter’s genius in incorporating existing melodies to evoke a feeling or a memory. Here he uses traditional American patriotic songs – almost like the way modern music uses sampling – giving the listener the opportunity to reflect on and find new meaning in them. When you have a text like: The cotton remembers / Whose land and / Whose relatives weep / chanted text doctrines / sovereign prerogatives / whole human beings / Gone with the wind of a dark American night on top of the melody of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” – that’s powerful stuff.
In COTTON’s reckoning with history, what have you found to be most illuminating?
The most compelling thing for me is that this one prompt – cotton – brought out so many emotions for these poets, motivating them to create the works they did, works which Denyce and I live inside of in communicating them to the audience. It’s amazing how just the word “cotton” brought out feelings of pride, of joy, of despair, of shame – and how this one thing – a simple plant – could cause so much disruption in mankind. The history of how America gained its independence didn’t come without a cost. The work is a powerful meditation on what cotton symbolizes.
Denyce Graves is one of the opera world’s most celebrated stars. What do you respond to most in her artistry, and what it has been like collaborating with her?
I love working with Denyce. Before we both became involved in COTTON, we performed in Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera together. My character interacts with hers a lot in that work, and it felt daunting at first – Denyce is such a legend – but she was so encouraging and supportive. When the chance came to become involved in COTTON with her, it felt so right. I really appreciate the sensitivity Denyce offers as an artist. She’s not afraid to go to very emotional, even dark, places dramatically and vocally she’s not afraid of anything. I think she sings notes even lower than my register – and I’m a baritone! It’s absolutely thrilling.
It feels very appropriate for Denyce and me to be bringing this work to life. It allows for a great spectrum of perspectives. We get an experienced and knowledgeable perspective and a young, fresh one, we get the perspective of a woman and the perspective of a man, and there’s an entire palette of vocal colors between a mezzo and a baritone.
What do you hope the audience takes away from experiencing COTTON?
I hope the audience comes away understanding that this is not a story about Black people. It is about us – as people, as Americans. One’s personal experience with the work – if you are open to it, and if you allow yourself to feel the feelings that are undoubtedly going to come – will leave you much more connected to others, which is what we need if we are to come together in peace and harmony.
Join Denyce Graves and Justin Austin for the New York premiere of COTTON on Thursday, April 18, at 7:30 PM, Details here.
COTTON was conceived, and the poetry and music commissioned, by Lyric Fest (Philadelphia).