Getty speaks about his work with fluttering fingers raised high above his head. He assumes the ghost role with ease. His music clearly comes both from the heart and his inner ghost. He cautions fellow composers to be true to themselves, and clearly he is. A delightful man, full of good humor, his spirit seems to contradict traditional opera where bad people do awful things. You can’t imagine Getty creating an ugly Scarpia, Fafner or the Devil for that matter.

Yet, as the scrim rises on [Usher House], the transparent music that accompanies the singers is by no means sweet. Getty, who had aspirations to be a singer, clearly sympathizes with the range and textures of the human voice. 

Getty's work is well-crafted. What is most striking is how well it sits in the voice and what a good dramatist he is. The pleasure that he clearly takes in his work is infectious.