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Loving v. Virginia,
a compelling opera by
composer Damien Geter
and librettist Jessica
Murphy Moo depicts one
couple's struggle to
make interracial
marriage legal in Virginia.
Their efforts result in
a United States Supreme
Court ruling that
elevates this work
because of its current
relevance to legal
matters addressing due
process and equal
protection before the
law. This case marked
the beginning of Civil
Rights progress against
"Jim Crow" laws.
Conducted ably by Adam
Turner and directed
smartly by Denyce
Graves-Montgomery, this
work enjoyed a joint
world premiere in three
Virginia locations
where Virginia Opera
performs: Norfolk,
Fairfax, and Richmond.
This reviewer attended
the May 4th, 2025,
performance at the
Center for the Arts of
George Mason University
in Fairfax. The
opera was commissioned
by Virginia Opera and
Richmond Symphony in
partnership with the
Institute for Cultural
Arts at Virginia
Commonwealth University
and was co-produced
by Virginia Opera
and Minnesota Opera. It
is a full-length work
running two hours with
additional time for one
intermission.
The libretto tells the real-life story of Richard Loving, a white
man, and Mildred Jeter, a Black and Native American woman,
who fall in love. The couple marry legally in Washington, DC, in
1958. However, when they return home to Caroline County,
Virginia, they are arrested later for violating Virginia's Racial
Integrity Act of 1924 and charged with a felony, which carries a
one-year prison sentence. The judge suspends the sentence on the
condition that the Lovings leave Caroline County and agree not to
return together for 25 years. They move to DC—such marriages
are allowed there—and live with a Jeter family cousin. But they
miss their families and the country life of Caroline County, where
they had hoped to build a house and raise their children. And so,
they return to Virginia, risking arrest. In 1963, the ACLU takes
their case to the lower courts and, in 1967, to the Supreme Court.
SCOTUS rules unanimously that Virginia's Interracial Integrity
Act violates the 14th Amendment of the United States
Constitution.
Geter uses dissonant musical textures into which he threads
strains of blue grass, blues, and gospel. In a video interview found
on the Internet, the composer called certain musical passages
"robotic." He explained that these were driving rhythms in the
orchestra that underlie pulsating recitations of legal code. This
reviewer found these passages the most inventive and the most
pleasing of the opera. Lyric soprano Flora Hawk as Mildred and
baritone Jonathan Michie as Richard physically looked the parts
of the real-life characters they represented. With her soaring
vocal lines, Hawk outshone Michie, who often seemed wooden in
his singing and movement. Melody Wilson, who sang Musiel
Byrd Jeter (Mildred's mother), gave a standout performance
when she lamented that her daughter had been jailed for
marrying a white man, something both she and husband had tried
to dissuade their daughter from doing.
The scale of performers employed for this opera was large. The
orchestra counted just under 50 musicians, including one
guitarist; the chorus was just over 30 singers. There were also five
supernumeraries. Ten singers made up the cast.
Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams' minimalist scenic design worked well
to suggest multiple settings and keep the action flowing as the
performers moved set elements on and off the stage.
Photos by Dave Pearson Photography
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