Damian Goggans' Extraordinary Final Year at Oberlin

Damian came to Oberlin Conservatory from nearby Cleveland, where he’d had lessons with Cleveland Classical Guitar Society Director, Erik Mann, and been mentored in their pre-college programs in the public schools. He’d already demonstrated both a strong set of skills on the guitar and a natural and wide-ranging curiosity. While at Oberlin, in addition to his formal studies, he continued his composing and launched a research project into guitar music by Black composers which ended up getting published this year. His final year here was punctuated by seventeen outside concerts, several video-recording projects, major splashes of PR and media attention, and finally a lecture given at, no less, the Guitar Foundation of America Convention. I will try to give a brief run-down of this flurry of activity, as I feel it stands as a robust inspiration to others.

Damian kicked off the season last summer with the launch of his website, www.damiangoggans.net. Once this platform was up, he followed suit with an Instagram page and a Facebook page. With this visibility established, other activities began to follow quickly. He’d met Thomas Flippin previously, when Thomas came to Oberlin with his duo partner (and Oberlin alum) Chris Mallett. Damian was tapped to participate in the project of video-recording Flippin’s new solo guitar works 14 Etudes on the Music of Black Americans. Recording began in August 2024.

During that summer, soon after his Junior Recital, he played four recitals in the community. In June, he was featured on stage at the Larchmere Porch Fest (Cleveland), the Westlake Porter Public Library (sponsored by the Westshore Arts Council), and Lakeview Cemetery (sponsored by the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom).

Then he was interviewed by Ideastream, a Cleveland-based media outlet. In July, he played at Cleveland Marriott East, sponsored by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.

His broader engagement in the role of Black Americans was in evidence during his various trips throughout the year. They included

—a trip to Detroit to the Motown Museum, sponsored by Oberlin’s Multicultural Resource Commons

Damian at Motown Museum in Detroit

—a trip to a “Black Students Lead” conference in New Orleans

—a trip to the Bible History Museum in Washington DC, sponsored by Voices for Christ (a Bible study group for Black Students)

—a trip to London, England over Fall break

In December, a research project Damian had been working on—a comprehensive listing of classical guitar pieces written by Black composers—was published in Notes, the quarterly journal of the Music Library Association. His professor, Kathleen Abromeit, acted as editor and champion for this project.

Damian’s research is published

Starting in January, Damian went on a lengthy concert tour in the greater Cleveland area, assisted by his pre-college mentor Erik Mann and the Cleveland Classical Guitar Society. He played a solo program of mostly music by Black composers (his special project) at the following sites:

—Renaissance Retirement Campus, Olmsted Falls

—Laurel Lakes Retirement Community, Hudson

—Community of St. Peter, Cleveland

—StoryPoint Retirement Center, Medina

—Karamu House / MLK Celebration, Cleveland

Actor, Dyrell Barnett, with Damian at Karamu House after MLK concert

—Fairmont Presbyterian Church, Cleveland

—Chamber Music Guild, at Lyndhurst Community of Faith Church (chamber music with four string players from the Cleveland Orchestra), Lyndhurst

—Cleveland Museum of Art, MLK Day Celebration

Then, in March, after another public concert at Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson, the video recordings that Damian had been making of Thomas Flippin’s 14 Etudes was released. This release generated considerable public interest. Instead of simply playing the pieces, as is assumed by the composer, Damian preceded each piece with both an a cappella vocal rendition of the original Spiritual upon which it was based, plus delivered for the camera, in a church, a short sermonette relating the biblical source of each song. This was all done in beautifully produced video. The press noticed:

One immediate result of this attention was an invitation the next month to participate in the Durr Lecture Series in Alabama, a trip he took in early April. While in Montgomery, Damian gave two concerts (one at Percy Julian High School, the other at the Kress Building), conducted a student guitar ensemble, taught a master class, and opened for a Danny Lyon Civil Rights documentary movie screening.

Damian performs at Kress Building in Montgomery, AL

Damian with filmmaker Danny Lyons at the premiere of his documentary

Damian was the subject of a photographic project by Oberlin College of Art faculty, Michael Roman. This photo ended up anchoring his website.

Damian’s Senior Recital coincided with the publication by the Cleveland Plain Dealer of a full-page piece on him.

At graduation, he was given a musicology award. His name appears on a plaque (with others) in the Conservatory Library.

Damian with his mom at graduation

In early June, Damian traveled to Berea, Kentucky for a performance in a public pavilion. He’d been asked by filmmaker Ron Schmidt to compose music for his new picture, this field looks green to me. While this music has yet to be written, Damian recorded a video promotional piece for the film while there.

Damian was asked to give a lecture at the Guitar Foundation of America Convention this year. Taking place in June in Louisville, KY, Damian presented a talk about his work on the music of Black American composers, and focused on Thomas Flippin’s work. I’ve had alumni give GFA lectures (and performances and succeed in the competitions, etc), but I’ve never before had a current undergraduate featured as a GFA lecturer. This was a remarkable conclusion to a remarkable year.

Damian’s GFA lecturer badge

After Damian’s GFA lecture in Louisville: Erik Mann, (unknown) Matt Denman, Chris Mallett, Damian

Immediately after the GFA, Damian flew to Oklahoma City to participate in the Leyenda Foundation’s Romero Institute at Oklahoma City University. He’ll play a solo recital, play in various ensembles, and play Rodrigo’s Concierto Andaluz under the supervision of Pepe Romero.

After weighing several masters program offers, Damian has decided to attend Oklahoma City University to study with Matt Denman. We wish him every success, and will certainly miss him here at Oberlin. Congratulations, Damian, on an extraordinary final year!!