Their story hasn’t been told enough. How just nearby in Caroline County, a couple’s love would change the law of the land.
After winning the case, the Lovings built a house on an acre of land Richard’s father had given them. The couple raised three children, Sidney, Donald and Peggy, the youngest two being Richard’s biological children with Mildred. Now, Mildred and Richard Loving’s quiet defiance takes center stage in the premiere of “
Loving v. Virginia ,” a new opera that brings their landmark Supreme Court case to life. A collaboration between
Virginia Opera and the
Richmond Symphony , the production first debuted in Norfolk on April 25 and 27 with additional performances in Fairfax on May 3 and 4. It premieres in Richmond on Friday and runs through Sunday. Virginia Opera artistic director Adam Turner says the project has been five years in the making.
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“We were looking ahead at future season planning and realized that we had a big anniversary coming, the 50th, which is a major milestone in any opera company’s lifespan,” Turner said. “And we really wanted to meet the moment and commission a new opera.” Turner says there were offers for operas about the Civil War, presidents, Jamestown and more. And although Turner felt that those stories were great, “They’ve been told, how about something a little different,” he said.
as their marriage violated the state’s Racial Integrity Act. The two avoided jail time by moving to the nation’s capital. After five years of living in D.C., the interracial couple longed to return to their hometown. The American Civil Liberty Union got involved with the case, moving it all the way up to the Supreme Court. “I really stressed that it would be great if it could be a Virginia story, and if it could be a Virginia composer, something that would really uplift our own stories, with our own storytellers, but that also might be something that would reflect, and really resonate with the community,” Turner said.
A Virginia story
Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were an interracial couple living in Caroline County who got married in Washington, D.C. in 1958, where interracial marriage was legal. When they returned home, the Loving’s were arrested and sentenced to a year in prison for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act. The sentence was suspended on the condition that they leave the state. Which they did, attempting to make a life for themselves in Washington, D.C. Wanting to return home and live together legally, the Loving’s began a legal battle that became the landmark 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia. The Court unanimously ruled that laws banning interracial marriage were unconstitutional, making their quiet love story a historic turning point in the fight for civil rights.
Jessica Murphy Moo spent time in Caroline, pouring over documents in archives, visiting key locations, and watching old press interviews to accurately portray the Lovings on stage. “This story has always meant so much to me,” Jessica Murphy Moo, the opera’s librettist said. “I’m in an interracial marriage, and so this case has always been really personal. What Mildred and Richard Loving did, standing up for themselves, feels very much like they did that for my family as well.” In 2016, the award winning movie “Loving” was released, dramatizing the 1967 court case. While Turner found it to be “riveting,” Moo opted not to watch it, using her own research as a guide for how to present these two characters in an opera. She spent time in Caroline, pouring over documents in archives, visiting key locations, and watching old press interviews. “For instance, there was a big press interview with the two of them after the Supreme Court decision, and Richard let Mildred answer the questions,” Moo said. “She was really confident the way she answered. Like she had this kind of quiet confidence and you could tell they really just wanted this private life. They wanted to get home. They wanted to live in this rural area.”
In 2016, the award winning movie “Loving” was released, dramatizing the 1967 court case. There is a special balance required to keep an opera entertaining, yet accurate. “We wanted to be sure that we got the story right. We wanted to do what opera does so well — it really slows you down to feel the moment, to feel the history, to feel the significance of a small movement,” Moo said.
Geter grew up in Chesterfield County and graduated from Matoaca High School. He blends classical music with influences from the Black diaspora, championing social justice through his music. Virginia composer, writer
Virginia Opera also found Virginia composer, Damien Geter, to write the music. “My roots are in Virginia, and a lot of my first experiences in terms of music happened in Virginia, with the Richmond Symphony, and with Virginia Opera too. So to be a part of that legacy means quite a bit to me,” Geter said. “There are really no words that I can put to this. It’s just feelings of deep gratitude, and I’m just grateful.” Geter grew up in Chesterfield County and graduated from Matoaca High School. He blends classical music with influences from the Black diaspora, championing social justice through his music. His experience spans both the opera stage and television. He’s currently the composer-in-residence for the Richmond Symphony until 2026 and holds the role of interim music director and artistic advisor at Portland Opera. Geter was selected from a long list of Virginia composers. “It’s probably the most eclectic piece I’ve written so far. This is my fourth opera,” Geter said. He cites Benjamin Britten, an English composer, conductor and pianist, as a major influence for writing the music for “Loving v. Virginia.” Just the way that he writes operas is very smart. It’s like the saying, Work smarter, not harder. He uses a little bit of music to do a lot.”
Mildred never remarried after Richard was killed. She kept a quiet life and never gave interviews until the 40th anniversary of Loving V. Virginia in 2007. Geter says he drew from 50’s and 60’s rock music for the score, as well as bluegrass. “That’s how Richard and Mildred first met. Richard used to play music with Mildred’s brothers, and they used to play country music,” Geter said. The Lovings spent nine years in exile from Virginia. After winning the case, they built a house on an acre of land Richard’s father had given them. The couple raised three children, Sidney, Donald and Peggy, the youngest two being Richard’s biological children with Mildred. Eight years after returning home, the Lovings were hit by a drunk driver and Richard was killed. The story’s highs and lows play well for an opera. “It’s all about pacing,” Geter said. “And it’s an opera, which involves high emotions. You don’t want to give too much too soon, but you also want to keep people’s interest. And there are plenty of things in the story that are high stakes, outside of the Supreme Court case itself.”
Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were an interracial couple living in Caroline County who got married in Washington, D.C. in 1958, where interracial marriage was legal. When they returned home, the Loving’s were arrested and sentenced to a year in prison for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act. Virginia Opera’s 50th anniversary
“It’s a great honor and a privilege to be telling this story, in this moment, at the end of our 50th anniversary season, which I think is saying everything about the future,” Turner said. “It’s about telling new stories that haven’t been told on the operatic stage. It’s about featuring our own composers and our own stories, and it’s about diversifying who tells those stories. Mildred never remarried after Richard was killed. She kept a quiet life and never gave interviews until the 40th anniversary of Loving V. Virginia in 2007. When asked about same-sex marriage she said, “I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.” “I hope that people dig deep within themselves and realize that the individual does have quite a bit of power. And not just the individual, but regular folks have quite a bit of power,” Geter added.
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UPDATE: The livestream has ended. Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were an interracial couple living in Caroline County who got married in Washington, D.C. in 1958, where interracial marriage was legal. When they returned home, the Loving’s were arrested and sentenced to a year in prison for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act. In 2016, the award winning movie “Loving” was released, dramatizing the 1967 court case. After winning the case, the Lovings built a house on an acre of land Richard’s father had given them. The couple raised three children, Sidney, Donald and Peggy, the youngest two being Richard’s biological children with Mildred. Mildred never remarried after Richard was killed. She kept a quiet life and never gave interviews until the 40th anniversary of Loving V. Virginia in 2007. Geter grew up in Chesterfield County and graduated from Matoaca High School. He blends classical music with influences from the Black diaspora, championing social justice through his music. ‘Loving v. Virginia’ will premier in Richmond on Friday.
