Opera Disrupted – Call for Submissions
Cowtown Opera is thrilled to announce a call for submissions to Opera Disrupted: A Series of New Mini-Operas
We are looking for three teams of composers and lyricists to create 3 separate short new operatic works of about 15-20 minutes each to be presented as part of a cabaret evening. The pieces should work as standalone stories, though they may be from a longer work. The works will be presented in a semi-staged format in a cabaret evening on April 20, 2018.
At Cowtown Opera, we are all about accessibility and breaking operatic stereotypes. We aspire to create modern stories and lyrics that are relatable and tend to lean more towards memorable melodic phrases and beautiful harmonies . We would like our audiences to be able to hum every song walking out of the theatre and to understand the plot and words easily while experiencing emotional impact, whether comedic or serious . Please read more about Cowtown Operas previous productions in order to see what our brand is and our company vision is. If you haven’t written an opera before we’d still love to hear your work. If you have a background of Musical Theatre or Jazz and you have always wondered what it would be like to create an opera, we welcome it! We’re interested in hearing music that creates an emotional impact and not fixed ideas of what operatic music is. We are open, we are experimenting and learning through this process. We believe that the future of the operatic art form relies on this type of experiment for survival and lasting through the modern generation.
We are looking for submissions with the following guidelines:
- melodic and catchy music that might turn someone on to opera
- stories about contemporary life
- relatable libretto
- not previously produced
Submissions should include:
- a cover letter explaining what interests you about the project
- a five minute sample of the proposed work (mp3 file), with lyrics included.
- a synopsis of the proposed story
- A resume for each team member
What we will provide:
- a $500 honorarium per team
- a pianist to play the completed work at the cabaret
- up to four singers (we can provide one each of the following voice types: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass-baritone) to sing the completed work
- an evening of rehearsal for each piece, which you are welcome to attend, although we are not able
- to provide travel costs
- a feedback session with Cowtown’s Artistic team
- marketing and showcasing of your endeavours through our social media streams and newsletter contacts.
Please email your submissions to aaron@cowtownopera.com. The deadline for submissions is February 15, 2018.
