APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED - Feb 17, 2026

The 96-Hour Opera Project, a composition showcase competition in which teams of composers and librettists have four days to rehearse and premiere new and compelling 10-minute operas.

Participating teams will travel to Atlanta having previously completed and submit new works based on provided story prompts. Creative teams will spend four days collaborating with singers and pianists, rehearsing and fine tuning these works in advance of the final public showcase on June 13 on the stage at the historic Morehouse College. Travel, housing, singers, pianists, and rehearsal space will be provided to each composer/librettist team. The winning team will split a $10,000 prize, which will serve as the first installment on a commission to write a chamber opera for a future season at The Atlanta Opera. All other participating artists are each guaranteed a $1,000 honorarium.

Designed specifically for composers and librettists from historically underrecognized communities, the 96-Hour Opera Project is open to those who self-identify as part of a demographic that has been under-presented in the creative pantheon of opera.

Application is limited to emerging artists who are determined to have significant skills as a composer and/or playwright/librettist through academic study and limited professional experiences; who demonstrates a unique perspective that could benefit from mentorship. Artist's work in other genres may have been performed professionally as our definition of emerging applies specifically to an artist's development and career stage as a creator of opera.

Successful applicants will express interest and enthusiasm for opera as a form for storytelling and their work, however artists with no previous opera experience are encouraged to apply. They will demonstrate excellence as evidenced by submitted samples of previous composition/writing and a developed voice in their chosen art form and will commit to following a provided story prompt to develop a 10-minute work for a maximum of two voices.

There are no age minimums or maximums for participation.

Please contact at [email protected] with any questions regarding this application.

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