Dear Mr. Duncan is a program of music and poetry highlighting the life and contributions of Black baritone vocalist Todd Duncan.
Todd Duncan was a DC-based vocalist who was the first Porgy in Porgy and Bess and the first Black vocalist to sing with a major opera company. Duncan was also instrumental in desegregating audiences for the first performances of Porgy and Bess in DC.
Composer Noah Getz and poet Dwayne Lawson-Brown collaborated to write this program using letters from Duncan’s archives. A recent Ellington graduate, Anthony Anderson, played the role of Duncan, along with Denique Isaac and the World Music Collective.
Performances took place at the Keegan Theatre from February 4-6, 2023.
Dear Mr. Duncan was made possible by grants from HumanitiesDC, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and the generosity of St. Thomas’ Parish and the Keegan Theatre.
Meet the Artists
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Noah Getz
Composer and Performer
Noah Getz has performed and lectured worldwide, including appearances at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Carnegie Hall, The Royal Conservatory of Brussels, The Polish Woodwind Festival, and the Degollado Theater in Guadalajara, Mexico.
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Dwayne Lawson-Brown
Author and Performer
Dwayne Lawson-Brown aka the “Crochet Kingpin” is a homegrown DC native poet, activist, break-dancer, and fashion designer.
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Anthony D. Anderson
Baritone
Anthony D. Anderson is a native of the Washington metropolitan area and is an aspiring African American baritone soloist. The alumnus of the esteemed Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oberlin Conservatory performs several styles of music, with an affinity for German Lieder.
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Denique Isaac
Soprano
Denique Isaac received her Master of Music degree from Indiana University and her Bachelor of Music from Washington Adventist University.
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Gary DuBreuil
Narrator
Gary is a graduate of Saint Michael’s College in Vermont and of the Shakespeare Program at the British American Drama Academy (BADA) in London.