Corinthia Hotel London Sets Opera as Theme for Artist in Residence 2015

Corinthia Hotel London has announced that its fourth annual Artist in Residence programme is opera. Also announced today is the prestigious panel of judges who will choose a winning idea from a range of artist applications. The selected artist will be awarded a month residency at the hotel, over which time they will develop and realise their vision. The finished project will launch in September. A selection of artists have been approached to submit ideas for the project, with one final 'wild card' position still remaining. Corinthia Hotel London's General Manager Renaud Gregoire will select one final applicant from open submissions to join the other artists.

The esteemed judging panel for 2015 is made up of: Alex Beard CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House; Joseph Calleja, internationally acclaimed award-winning tenor; Susanna Eastman OBE, Chief Executive of Sound and Music; Sir Nicholas Kenyon, Managing Director of the Barbican Centre; Justine Simmons, Head of Culture, The Mayor's Office; Imogen Tilden, Classical Music Editor at the Guardian; Jenny Waldham, 14-18 NOW Director; Timothy Walker, Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra; Graham Vick CBE, Artistic Director of Birmingham Opera Company, and Renaud Gregoire, General Manager of Corinthia Hotel London.

On joining the panel, Joseph Calleja said "I was delighted to be asked to be on the panel and am very excited to be involved in such a creative venture. The Corinthia's Artist in Residence programme is a great way to nurture emerging opera talent. The nature of this enterprise means that it also has the potential to address preconceptions and reach new audiences. It's a wonderful opportunity and I can't wait to see what ideas they come up with."

Aiming to offer an incomparable professional experience that can explore both conventional and unorthodox interpretations of the artform, the programme is designed to encourage artists to think about the way their work can be experienced differently and enable imaginative, site-responsive ideas to evolve and come to life within the very fabric of the hotel. The panel of judges will meet to choose the winning project on 30 April 2015, when the commission will be announced at a press conference at the hotel. Members of the public and wider artistic community are invited to submit their ideas by completing an application form which is downloadable at corinthia-air.com/opera. The deadline for submissions is 20 March.

The Corinthia London Artist in Residence is a unique annual initiative championing British talent within different disciplines of the arts. Over the past four years the distinguished London hotel has commissioned site specific pieces across theatre, film, and visual art. Previous residencies saw winning commissions from aspiring filmmakers Zawe Ashton (best known for acting as Vod in Channel 4's Fresh Meat), and David Petch (2014), immersive theatre company Look Left Look Right (2013) and photographic artist Noémie Goudal (2012).