DAMIAN NORFLEET
Damian Norfleet is an interdisciplinary performing artist, creator, and collaborator who “brings a full range of emotions” (Boston Globe) and commands the stage with a strong presence, powerful singing, and "rubber-limbed dancing" (New York Times). Across spoken word, poetry, and art songs, his output explores language and phonemic awareness.
As a young artist, Damian served as the associate principal bassoonist of the Orchestra of the Pines; studied vocal pedagogy with Dr. David Jones and Dr. Robert Sataloff; attended masterclasses with Dalton Baldwin, Warren Jones, and Denyce Graves; was mentored by Tom Krause; and enjoyed a brief stint as a resident artist at the acclaimed Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. This was the moment when Mr. Norfleet turned his attention to acting. Immediately upon leaving AVA, Mr. Norfleet was accepted into the acting studio of actor/director Pete Pryor and later studied Shakespeare performance with Sybil Lines of the Royal Shakespeare Company. (Fun fact: Damian studied West African dance with Jeannine Osayande)
Norfleet traversed the United States as the lead actor, vocalist, and saxophone soloist of the nationally touring production In the Mood: A 1940s Musical Revue. He played the role of Smith in the 2012 Drama Desk Award-nominated production of The Threepenny Opera. In 2014, Damian performed at the Guggenheim Museum as part of the Works & Process performing arts series. Soon thereafter, he portrayed Terrence Roberts in the world premiere of the play Little Rock, which earned him and the cast a Barrymore Award for Best Ensemble. Damian Norfleet performed with Andre Braugher in the feature film Emily & Tim, starring Olympia Dukakis, and was the featured performer at the American Civil Liberties Union’s Beacon of Liberty Award honoring Terrence McNally. Mr. Norfleet has performed principal roles with Glimmerglass Opera, Portland Opera, and appeared in concert at Lincoln Center. Damian regularly collaborates with two socially conscious, activist orchestras: The Dream Unfinished and Ensemble Pi.
Mr. Norfleet has appeared as a guest artist at the New England Conservatory, Boston; conducted a vocal health seminar for the performers at Hong Kong Disney, and presented at a symposium for student artists from Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He has workshopped, developed, and directed new works with the John Duffy Institute for New Opera, American Opera Project, and the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU|Tisch. Damian co curated Love in Times of Alienation (2017) and Young, Gifted, and Black (2020) with the Concerts in the Heights ensemble, both presented at New York’s Lehman Art Gallery. In 2020, Damian was commissioned to write Kendi’s Secret, a piece for solo voice, in response to Dr. Ibram Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist for Ensemble Pi's Reparations Now! concert; 2021 began with Courtney Bryan’s Blessed (a collaboration with composer/pianist Courtney Bryan, filmmaker and visual artist Tiona Nekkia McClodden, and sound designer Rob Kaplowitz) for Opera Philadelphia’s Digital Commission Series. 2022 begins with a premier of a new piece by Grammy-nominated composer Orlando Jacinto Garcia.