Generously supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation
OPERA America is pleased to announce the latest recipients of the Discovery Grants from the Opera Grants for Women Composers program. These eight composers will receive a total of $104,000 to support the development of new opera and music-theater works. The Opera Grants for Women Composers program promotes the generation of new works by women and raises their visibility across the entire field. The grants are made possible through the generosity of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
The 2022 recipients are:
- Layale Chaker, for Ruinous Gods
- Ashi Day, for Waking the Witch
- Susan Kander, for Carry My Own Suitcase
- Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, for Lili’u
- Pamela Madsen, for Why Women Went West: Eleven Eleisons from East to West
- Rachel J. Peters, for Nothing Except My Genius (working title)
- Amber Vistein, for Dark Exhalation
- Alyssa Weinberg, for Drift
See below for profiles of the composers and their works.
In addition to cash awards, OPERA America invites and provides travel support for all grant recipients to attend its annual Opera Conference and New Works Forum, enabling them to develop relationships with potential creative partners and producers. Grant recipients also receive mentorship on the artistic and business aspects of new work development.
Grantees were selected from an applicant pool of 48 composers by a panel of industry leaders consisting of Debra E. Evans, arts administrator, advocate, and consultant; Carla M. Lucero, composer; Kelley Rourke, librettist, translator, and dramaturg; Maria Sensi Sellner, conductor and artistic and general director, Resonance Works Pittsburgh; and Carlos J. Soto, director and designer.
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