OPERA America Announces Winners Of The Inaugural Awards For Digital Excellence In Opera

OPERA America has announced the winners of the inaugural Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera. The Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera recognize the best work created for digital platforms by individual producers and organizations in the U.S. and Canada, in four categories: Artistic Creation, Education/Enrichment Material, University/Conservatory Projects, and Noteworthy Projects.

The 2022 winners, selected from over 100 submissions and 14 finalists, are:

• Soldier Songs

Submitted by: David T. Little with Opera Philadelphia
Category: Artistic Creation

• Verdi by Vegetables: The Movie

Submitted by: Resonance Works
Category: Education/Enrichment Material

• Please Look: A Cinematic Opera Experience

Submitted by: Opera ND, University of Notre Dame
Category: University/Conservatory Project

• Messiah/Complex
  Submitted by: Against the Grain Theatre
  Category: Noteworthy Project
  

Audiences are invited to watch the winning projects at operaamerica.org/DigitalAwards. Videos will be available for a limited time through February 5, 2023. Videos of the finalist projects will be available through December 7, 2022.

The Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera are made possible by a generous and deeply appreciated grant from The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, with special gratitude to foundation trustees, Joe Erdman and Melissa Young.

"With the Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera, we celebrate a new vehicle for creating, distributing, and experiencing opera," stated Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of OPERA America. "Opera on digital platforms - a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic - has proven to be an invaluable addition to the field, inviting new levels of innovation and service to audiences. We are pleased to be able to share these remarkable projects with the public."

OPERA America received applications from 93 organizations and 24 individuals for the inaugural awards, representing work from 24 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Expert judges reviewed the submissions and identified 14 finalists across the four categories.

The 2022 finalists were:

Artistic Creation

· Garden of Vanished Pleasures | Submitted by Soundstreams

· The Knock | Submitted by The Glimmerglass Festival, Helio Arts

· Sāvitri | Submitted by Against the Grain Theatre

· Soldier Song | Submitted by David T. Little with Opera Philadelphia*

Education/Enrichment Material

· Boston Baroque for Kids: The Four Seasons | Submitted by Boston Baroque

· Playground Opera's La Cenerentola | Submitted by Opera on Tap

· Verdi by Vegetables: The Movie | Submitted by Resonance Works*

University/Conservatory Projects

· Gianni Schicchi, An Animated Opera | Submitted by CSUN Opera, California State University, Northridge

· Please Look: A Cinematic Opera Experience | Submitted by Opera ND, University of Notre Dame*

Noteworthy Projects

· desert in | Submitted by Boston Lyric Opera

· The Island We Made | Submitted by Opera Philadelphia

· Messiah/Complex | Submitted by Against the Grain Theatre*

· Sweet Land | Submitted by The Industry

· Twilight: Gods | Submitted by Lyric Opera of Chicago

*Indicates category winners

See below for project descriptions.

The awards were selected by independent experts including:

• Jonathan Allen, recording producer
• Aubrey Bergauer, chief executive officer, Changing the Narrative
• Mary Birnbaum, director, producer, The Juilliard School
• MaryClare Byzytwa, electronic musician, producer, improviser, and educator
• Cara Consilvio, opera and film director
• Charlie Corcoran, scenic and production designer
• Trey Costerisan, rehearsal department director, The Metropolitan Opera
• Jane Cox, Lewis Center for the Arts, director of Princeton University's Program in Theater
• Greg Emetaz, filmmaker and video designer
• Phil Gutierrez, production manager, New York Philharmonic
• Ian Kagey, director of operations, Power Station at Berklee NYC
• Lisa Kay Hanson, senior director of producing operations, Boston Lyric Opera
• Ishan Johnson, associate director, philanthropy, Art Institute of Chicago
• Peter Kazaras, director of opera, UCLA, Distinguished Professor of Music, stage director
• Taylor Long, production manager, Canadian Opera Company; freelance photographer and videographer
• Joshua Lubensky, visual and video artist
• Justin Partier, lighting director, San Francisco Opera
• Katie Preissner, producer, administrator, stage manager, and alum of OPERA America's Women's Mentorship Program
• Jamie Sharp, communications and publications manager, Grantmakers in the Arts
• Michael Solomon, director of media relations, Lyric Opera of Chicago
• Susan Zeeman Rogers, scenic designer and co-creator, PRECIPE

For more information about OPERA America's grant and award programs, visit operaamerica.org/Grants.

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