The American Opera Project's Composers & the Voice program is a two-year, tuition-free fellowship for composers and librettists that provides experience writing for the operatic voice, training in the creation of new opera and lyric theater, and career development. The 2021-2023 cycle will welcome up to nine new artists to a year of working with the company’s Resident Ensemble of Singers and professional instructors, followed by a year of performances of their work and career development through AOP and its national and community partnerships. The Brooklyn-based program will also introduce travel and housing subsidies to broaden and diversify the scope of applicants.
The eleventh cycle began when applications were released on the AOP website in March 2021, and the new group of selected fellows will gather for the first time in September 2021. The first year of C&V is structured around closed composition workshops in writing for six professional opera singers – Coloratura Soprano, Lyric Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, Baritone and Bass. Additional sessions on opera creation include libretto writing, and classes on Improv and Acting, physical sessions exploring new approaches to the fellows' creativity that are a unique aspect of the C&V program. Guest artists are also hired for special sessions, speaking on a variety of topics. Sessions are held in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
To further support the C&V fellows, a team of “Artistic Chairs”– established “master” opera professionals– form one-on-one mentorships with the fellows throughout the cycle. Following the first year of the program, two sets of public performances are held featuring the fellows’ music written for and sung by the Resident Ensemble of Singers: First Glimpse, a concert of songs in May 2022; and Six Scenes, excerpts from operas-in-development in September 2022.
After these public concerts, the fellows receive another year of personalized career development by AOP staff, guided industry networking, and continued promotion of their work. Partnerships with organizations such as Chautauqua Opera, Opera Omaha, and the Manhattan School of Music provide additional career opportunities for C&V fellows.
Since launching in 2002, Composers & the Voice has fostered the development of 71 composers & librettists, launching the careers of some of the top young creators in contemporary opera. Numerous works have take their first step in C&V, continuing on to premieres around the world, and forming a new canon of American opera that is committed to telling the stories of today.
