Mark Gresham | 5 DEC 2024
Atlanta, GA— The Atlanta Opera is accepting applications for its 2025 96-Hour Opera Project. Now in its fourth year, the competition is designed to spotlight composers and librettists from historically underrepresented communities.
All entrants chosen to be participating creatives will receive a $1,000 honorarium. A panel of industry professionals will select the winning team to receive the Antinori Grand Prize, which includes $10,000 and a $25,000 commission to create a new one-act chamber opera. Applications will be accepted through Feb. 11, 2025.
The competition is the centerpiece of the 96-Hour Opera Festival, which showcases innovative short operas crafted over just four days. At the 2024 festival, participants tackled the theme of Artificial Intelligence, with five teams creating operas judged by industry leaders. The winning entry, Water Memory, by composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan, explored the use of AI to aid individuals with dementia.
The 2025 competition will continue this format, requiring participants to craft ten-minute operas based on story prompts provided by the festival. Selected teams will convene in Atlanta from June 17–21, 2025, with a public showcase on June 21 at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College.
The festival will also feature performances of works by past competition winners. Among the highlights for 2025 is Steele Roots, a chamber opera by 2023 winners Dave Ragland and Selda Sahin. Their piece delves into the life of Carrie Steele Logan, a formerly enslaved woman who founded a home for orphaned children in Atlanta after the Civil War.
The competition is open to composers and librettists who self-identify as part of underrepresented communities in the field of opera. Applicants may apply individually or as teams, and participants will be paired with local “story partners” to develop narratives for their works.
For more information on applying to enter the competition or attending the festival, visit The Atlanta Opera’s website or inquire by e-mail to competition@atlantaopera.org. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- The Atlanta Opera: atlantaopera.org
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