The Opera Fund
The Opera Fund, in conjunction with Opera.ca's
Canadian Opera Creation Fund, provides technical and financial support to OPERA America Professional Company Members and others as part of a North American effort to enhance the quality, quantity and creativity of new opera and music-theater.
Dates, Deadlines, Guidelines & Applications
Click here to apply for this year’s
Opera Fund awards in the Audience Development and Artist Development: Director-Designer Showcase categories. All applications must be submitted via the online application. Applications sent via e-mail, fax and/or mail will NOT be accepted.
Intent to Apply Forms for this round must arrive on or before Friday, September 5, 2008.
Complete applications including all additional materials must be received by OPERA America on or before Monday, October 6, 2008.
Audience Development
Artist Development: Director-Designer Showcase
General Information
Goals
The goals of the program are to:
- Enhance the vitality of opera and music-theater in North America through the creation and production of new works
- Develop a deeper and broader appreciation on the part of the general public for opera and music-theater companies
- Encourage creative artists who will write and interpret new works
Award Categories
1. Repertoire Development
Repertoire Development assists OPERA America Professional Company Members (PCMs) and their partners in meeting the special costs incurred by developing and producing new North American opera and music-theater. There is a strong emphasis on consortia though sole applicant support is also available.
Development Awards allow the creators and/or producers to assess and refine a work in progress. The primary intent of this award is to provide financial assistance for the development of the work and the creative process, although some proposed projects may also serve an audience development purpose. The award may be used to offset creative fees or other costs associated with the development of a new work, including but not limited to, a lab production, a workshop, a reading or a revision.
Award range: Up to $50,000 for Consortium support; up to $25,000 for Sole Applicant support
2. Audience Development
Audience Development offers financial assistance to OPERA America Professional Company Members (PCMs) and their partners for planning and implementing specific activities that strengthen relationships between audiences, the art form and the company. Proposed activities must be undertaken in conjunction with the creation and/or production of a new work or existing American work. Two types of Audience Development Awards are available. Design Awards offer support for the planning of a project and Project Awards assist in the implementation of the proposed projects.
Award range: Up to $5,000 for Design Awards; and Up to $25,000 for Project Awards.
3. Director-Designer Showcase
As part of a continuing effort to foster emerging opera artists, OPERA America is launching a bi-annual Director-Designer Showcase under the auspices of
The Opera Fund. The Showcase will offer direct benefits to promising stage directors and designers seeking to break into the world of opera. It is intended to bring new talent to the forefront and connect promising directors and designers with those who are in a position to hire them.
OPERA America will consider applications from director-driven teams of artists. Each team must create a production proposal for one of the following works:
Requirements
The proposal should include a complete production concept, including an explanation of the staging, as well as ideas and initial research for scenery, props and costumes, personnel to be involved (chorus, extras, etc.) and suggestions for adaptations and/or editing, if any.
Process
A small number of finalist teams will be selected by a panel of peers and producers. Each team will then be given $1,000 for the production of more complete renderings and models. In spring 2009, up to two representatives from each finalist team will be flown at OPERA America’s expense to Opera Conference 2009 in Houston, TX, to present their proposals to general and artistic directors at a special session. Finalists will be able to meet with company representatives at an event to be held immediately after the presentation.
Eligibility
This Showcase is open to emerging opera/theater artists, regardless of their membership status with OPERA America. The majority of the team must be U.S. citizens.
Scores and recordings for the ten North American operas are available for perusal in the OPERA America office. To schedule an appointment, please call 212-796-8620, ext. 0. For those located outside the New York metropolitan area, links to available scores and recordings are above.
Awards Available in the United States
As OPERA America builds the endowment, we want to ensure that our broadest membership has access to the benefits of
The Opera Fund. Toward that end, we will rotate the availability of Audience Development and Repertoire Development Awards.
Guidelines will be available as follows:
- Summer 2008: Audience Development Awards and Director-Designer Showcase
- Summer 2009: Repertoire Development Awards
Awards Available in Canada
For further information about the
Canadian Opera Creation Fund, visit
www.opera.ca.
Tips for Preparing Your Application
In addition to providing financial support through
The Opera Fund and
Canadian Opera Creation Program, OPERA America and Opera.ca, respectively, offer technical support to companies as they prepare their applications. Below you will find articles that address characteristics of successful application materials, as identified by award adjudicators.
Articles that are in PDF format can be viewed with Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software download available from
www.adobe.com.
Previous Recipients
Funders
The Opera Fund, launched by The National Endowment for the Arts, is funded by:
• The Helen F. Whitaker Fund
• Lee Day Gillespie
• Lloyd and Mary Ann Gerlach
• The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
• The Canada Council for the Arts
• The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
• The James S. and John L. Knight Foundation
• The George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation
Staff Contact Information
For more information, please contact Megan Young at 212-796-8620, ext. 203 or
MYoung@operaamerica.org.