MARCUS AMAKER
LIBRETTIST
BIOGRAPHY
“[O]ne of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard all year...” – The Washington Post (Review of Amaker and Okpebholo’s “Two Black Churches” in UNknown)
Praised for his magical poetry that “turn[s] to music in the air” (Button Poetry), Marcus Amaker (he/him) is a daily napper, opera librettist, electronic musician, and a Star Wars obsessive. As Charleston’s first Poet Laureate, an Academy of American Poets fellow, and South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame inductee, Amaker’s work has achieved national acclaim. Most notably, his re-written version of “My Country Tis of Thee” was used by the Washington National Opera for President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.
Amaker is also a prolific performer, the award-winning graphic designer of a national bluegrass music journal (NoDepression), the creator of a poetry festival, a teaching artist, and an advocate for youth poets. In addition, he has released over 40 electronic music albums, three of which were recorded with Grammy Award-winning drummer and producer Quentin E. Baxter. His poem “The Rain” is on two Grammy-nominated recordings.
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In 2021, Amaker collaborated with Grammy-nominated composer Shawn Okpebholo on UNknown, a dramatic song cycle – commissioned by UrbanArias and a coalition of national partners – commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery. Amaker’s poetry was noted for its frankness, intimacy, and overall “affecting” account of the forgotten soldier, specifically by The New York Times.
Amaker’s artistry has also been recognized by The Washington Post, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, American Poets Magazine, Button Poetry, NPR, The Chicago Tribune, PBS NewsHour, and many more.
His original opera titled The Weight of Light, composed by Gillian Rae Perry, made its premiere at Chicago Opera Theater in 2024. His tenth book, Hold What Makes You Whole, was released in 2023.
Amaker lives in North Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, daughter, and a cat named after Wu-Tang Clan. He is currently the artist-in-residence emeritus at The Gaillard Center: a world-renowned performance venue in Charleston. June 3, 2021, was named “Marcus Amaker Day” by John Tecklenburg, mayor of Charleston, South Carolina.
Current as of September 1, 2024
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard…” – Washington Post
Two Black Churches – “It’s absolutely devastating, and one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard all year — one that seems to authorize the contradictory emotions it captures and sets free.”
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"... with poetry and grace..." – The New Yorker
Two Black Churches – "Two Black Churches” (2020) crowns the album, recounting racially motivated massacres in Birmingham, In 1963, And In Charleston, in 2015, with poetry and grace.”
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"... a genuine, lyrical offering to our heart’s expansion..." – Andrea Gibson, world-renowned poet
The Birth of All Things – “Once, in 2001, I heard a poet read a poem that turned to music in the air. Two decades later Marcus Amaker’s gorgeous new book is that moment on repeat, with each turned page. A mixtape of presence, The Birth of All Things is a genuine, lyrical offering to our heart’s expansion. To write in celebration while refusing to ignore grief, is a skill few artists have mastered, but it is mastered here. I am so grateful for the bonfire of light this book has brought into my world.”
REPRESENTATIVES
Vice President | Classical & Creatives
CEO & Partner | Theatre, Film, TV & Literary