Supporting the Next Wave of American Opera

Article Published: 18 Apr 2022

Supporting the Next Wave of American Opera

OPERA America’s Opera Fund, an endowment that funds the creation and production of new works, has helped develop some of the most successful new American operas, supporting projects like Fire Shut Up in My Bones, As One, Blue, and The Central Park Five, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

This winter, OPERA America drew upon the Opera Fund to award $225,000 in Repertoire Development Grants to nine opera companies for the creation and refinement of eight new operas and music-theater works.

Although new works can be fruitful for companies looking to broaden their seasons and audiences, the cost of developing them is significant. Repertoire Development Grants play a crucial role in offsetting creative fees and other costs, like lab productions, workshops, readings, and revisions, increasing the likelihood that new operas will gain a foothold in the contemporary American repertoire.

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OPERA America Repertoire & Productions New Work Grants & Awards Administrators Artists

AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER

Splintered — A Nutcracker Adventure
Composers Justine F. Chen and Jorge Sosa
Librettist Lila Palmer

Inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s enduring testament to childhood imagination, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” Splintered — A Nutcracker Adventure is being developed as a branched-narrative opera in collaboration with a software company that specializes in live, interactive entertainment.

BETH MORRISON PROJECTS

Sybil on the Rhine
Composer/librettist Sarah Kirkland Snider

Sybil on the Rhine centers on St. Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), who found a way to become an influential voice in Europe during a century when women had no voice.

HOUSTON GRAND OPERA

The Tango Singer
Composer Pablo Ziegler
Librettist Leonard Foglia

Based on the eponymous book by Tomás Eloy Martínez, The Tango Singer explores the intersection of art and activism as the title character helps fuel revolution in the streets after a military coup in 1970s Buenos Aires.

LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO

The Factotum
Creators Will Liverman and K-Rico

The Factotum, inspired by The Barber of Seville, is set in a present-day Black barbershop in Chicago. It pulls from many genres, including operatic singing, hip-hop, soul, and R&B to express the story.

MASS OPERA

Caravana de mujeres
Composer Nicolas Lell Benavides
Librettist Laura Barati

Caravana de mujeres, inspired by a real Spanish matchmaking service that introduces Latina immigrants to rural Spanish farmers, is an earnest comedy that examines the desire for love and companionship while exploring the social dynamic between Latinx immigrants and native Spaniards.

OPERA THEATRE OF SAINT LOUIS

Treemonisha
Composer Damien Sneed
Librettist Karen Chilton

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will adapt the classic work by Scott Joplin with a new narrative treatment. The work will speak to today’s audiences through both a historical perspective and a new lens that highlights current socioeconomic challenges.

PENSACOLA OPERA & OPERA DELAWARE

Fearless
Composer/librettist Derrick Wang

Fearless is inspired by Hazel Ying Lee, who became the first woman of Asian descent to fly for the U.S. military, serving in the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.

VIRGINIA OPERA

Loving v. Virginia
Composer Damien Geter
Librettist Jessica Murphy Moo

Loving v. Virginia, a co-production with the Richmond Symphony, will tell the tale of the couple who successfully challenged Virginia’s law barring interracial marriage.