OPERA America Awards $200,000 in Next Stage Grants Supporting Subsequent Productions of North American Works
OPERA America is pleased to announce grants totaling $200,000 to six American opera companies through its Next Stage Grants program.
Next Stage Grants support the second or subsequent productions of existing North American works that deserve additional attention from producers, audiences, and critics. The grants provide opera companies with the opportunity to edit, adjust, and refine the works for new audiences.
Grants were awarded to six opera companies:
- Chicago Opera Theater (Chicago, IL), for Book of Mountains and Seas,
music and libretto by Huang Ruo; - Los Angeles Opera (Los Angeles, CA), for Highway 1, USA,
music by William Grant Still, libretto by Verna Arvey; - New Orleans Opera (New Orleans, LA), for Blue,
music by Jeanine Tesori, libretto by Tazewell Thompson; - Opera Parallèle (San Francisco, CA), for Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera,
music by David T. Little; libretto by Royce Vavrek; - Opera Southwest (Albuquerque, NM), for Before Night Falls,
music by Jorge Martín, libretto by Dolores M. Koch; - Virginia Opera (Norfolk, VA), for Sanctuary Road,
music by Paul Moravec, libretto by Mark Campbell.
(See below for additional information about the productions.)
“OPERA America is committed to building the American opera repertoire and supporting subsequent productions is a vital aspect of this work,” remarked Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. “Providing support for the revision and production of existing works strengthens the American canon and brings these refreshed works to new audiences.”
Next Stage Grants are available to OPERA America’s Professional Company Members. Awards support 50% of eligible costs: up to $25,000 to present an existing production; up to $50,000 to originate a new production as a sole applicant; and up to $75,000 to originate a new production as part of a consortium. The program offers supplemental support for revisions to the score, libretto, and/or orchestration.
Grantees were selected by an independent panel of experts including Patricia K. Beggs, general director emerita, Cincinnati Opera; Blythe Gaissert, mezzo-soprano; Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, poet, activist, and educator; and Thaddeus Strassberger, stage director and designer.
Next Stage Grants were first offered in the late 1990s. They were revived in 2020 as part of OPERA America’s commitment to strengthening the American opera canon.
2023 Next Stage Grants were funded with gifts from OPERA America’s 50th Anniversary Campaign, including a leadership gift from Frayda B. Lindemann. Supplemental support for revisions was generously provided by the Mellon Foundation.
Since the inception of its granting programs in the mid-1980s, OPERA America has awarded over $23 million to the opera field to support the work of opera creators, administrators, and companies.
More information about OPERA America’s grant programs is available at operaamerica.org/Grants.
