Fort Worth Opera Announces Call For Submissions For FRONTIERS: FWO LIBRETTO WORKSHOP

Fort Worth Opera (FWO) has announced a call for submissions for Frontiers: FWO Libretto Workshop, an exciting exploration of operatic storytelling, and the eighth installment of the company's innovative new works showcase. Led by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist and lyricist Mark Campbell, this two-night online event will be held in front of a live Zoom audience on October 7 and 8, 2020, at 7 PM CT. In addition to Mr. Campbell's presence, FWO's workshop will feature a distinguished panel of librettists, composers, directors, and artists, including Héctor Armienta, Nicole Brooks, Octavio Cardenas, Blythe Gaissert, Alison Moritz, Rachel J. Peters, Kelly Rourke, and Talise Trevigne. Submissions will be accepted through Monday, September 14, 2020, at midnight. On Tuesday, September 29, six librettists will be chosen, and the winning selections will be publicly announced.




While the first seven installments of Frontiers highlighted thrilling new unproduced works-in-progress, the company's latest workshop strips away the musical elements and focusses entirely upon the text of new operas in-the-making. In creating this program, FWO wanted to provide librettists with a platform for dramaturgical development and assure the industry and opera lovers everywhere that the storytellers within this incredible art form would not be neglected during this pandemic. The company continues its commitment to supporting the creation of new works, and Frontiers: FWO Libretto Workshop will provide librettists with an exclusive opportunity to hone their craft. Not only will they experience passages of their libretto performed by professional actors, but they will receive real-time feedback from some of the top creative minds in opera. Librettists will also be able to obtain a recording of the Zoom workshop to assist them further in their compositional process.

With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, operatic productions have temporarily come to a halt until companies can safely return to the theater. Just as plagues have inspired art, literature, and music for centuries, the resulting economic uncertainty has fostered a sense of community and ingenuity within the opera world that will undoubtedly continue to resonate long after a vaccine has arrived and the industry has normalized. Music and drama are the essential ingredients of any operatic work, and the two must be stylistically united for the piece to be successful. As the text or "script" of an opera, the libretto should have clear sense of internal timing throughout its dramatic structure. It should embrace the emotional resonance and importance of silence, as well as offer up pages of dialogue or monologues, and it must be able to live within a musical space. What works for theatrical plays, does not necessarily translate well to the grandeur or intimacy of the operatic stage. Above all, a libretto should inspire a composer, spark conversation, connection, and the imagination.

Hailed as "one of the most significant music events of the year" by D Magazine, Fort Worth Opera's Frontiersshowcase has yielded numerous regional and world premieres since its inception. Commissioned by the American Lyric Theater, Patrick Soluri and Deborah Brevoort's macabre, Edgar Allan Poe-inspired opera Embedded (Frontiers2013) appeared during Fort Worth Opera's 2016 Festival. Matthew Peterson and Jason Zencka's critically acclaimed, true crime opera Voir Dire (Frontiers 2014) proved to be a highlight of the company's 2017 Festival and recently received its official cast album recording. Composer and librettist Rachel J. Peters' acclaimed dark comedy Companionship (Frontiers 2018) received its world premiere during FWO's 2019 Festival.

Beyond North Texas, Robert Paterson and David Cote's trio of comic, one-act operas, Three Way, premiered at Nashville Opera and BAM Fisher in 2017, and Opera Colorado presented the world premiere of Gerald Cohen and Deborah Brevoort's true-life WWII romance, Steal a Pencil for Me (Frontiers 2016) during their 2018 season. Griffin Candey and Thom Miller's delectable dark comedy, Sweets by Kate (Frontiers 2017), received its NYC premiere at the legendary Stonewall Inn in July of 2017 with OperaRox Productions. In 2019, Clint Borzoni and John de los Santos' erotic opera, When Adonis Calls (Frontiers 2015), received its world premiere by Asheville Lyric Opera.

Visit https://www.fwopera.org/frontiers-libretto-workshop

Frontiers: FWO Libretto Workshop Submission Information:

Applications must be submitted between August 19 and September 14, 2020.

Librettists from the Americas (citizens or residents of North, Central, and South America, as well as associated territories) are eligible and invited to submit a libretto. All application materials must be submitted electronically through the Frontiers web portal. Six libretti will be selected and showcased. Works not selected will not be automatically reconsidered for future showcases.

Only completed libretti will be considered. Due to the online forum of this workshop, libretti must be in English, and submissions must include a synopsis. There is no fee for submissions. Fort Worth Opera retains the right to select fewer than six works for the showcase. Please contact Fort Worth Opera at frontiers@fwopera.org.

Frontiers: FWO Libretto Workshop Panelists:

Night One Panel (October 7, 2020): Mark Campbell, Nicole Brooks, Octavio Cardenas, Blythe Gaissert, and Kelley Rourke.

Night Two Panel (October 8, 2020): Mark Campbell, Héctor Armienta, Alison Moritz, Rachel J. Peters, and Talise Trevigne.

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