among a number of professions, getty is a classical music composer whose compositions include the opera "plump jack", "joan and the bells", piano pieces and a collection of choral works. his one-act opera "usher house" was performed by the san francisco opera in 2015. aspiring to become an opera singer, getty studied in the mid-1970s with louise caselotti, a mezzo-soprano who had been maria callas' voice teacher (1946–47). he and his wife have supported the fine arts, especially underwriting productions of the san francisco opera and the russian national orchestra.