OPERA America Reveals Winners of the 2024 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera

OPERA America has announced the winners of the 2024 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera. The awards celebrate recent projects by individual producers and organizations in the United States and Canada that expand the range of opera’s storytelling and reach through digital media. They recognize the best work created for digital platforms in the categories of Artistic Creation, Education/Enrichment Materials, and Noteworthy Projects.

The 2024 winners are:

Sweat – a film by The Bicycle Opera Project
Produced by Larissa Koniuk and Jennifer Nichols
Category: Artistic Creation

A Pocket Magic Flute
Produced by Pocket Opera and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre
Category: Education/Enrichment Materials

Everest: An Immersive Experience
Produced by Brian Staufenbiel and Nicole Paiement
Category: Noteworthy Projects

Threepenny Submarine Season 1
Produced by Opera 5 and Gazelle Automations
Category: Noteworthy Projects

Audiences are invited to watch the winning projects, as well as all finalist projects, at operaamerica.org/DigitalAwards. Videos are available for a limited time: through March 3, 2025, for all finalists, and through June 2, 2025, for the winners.

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.

“By crafting projects specifically for the screen, the winners of the 2024 awards explore the collaborative potential of opera and digital creation,” stated Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. “Their work demonstrates how blending disciplines can lead to bold innovations that captivate and inspire audiences in new ways.”

OPERA America received applications from over 30 organizations and individuals for the 2024 awards. The winners were selected from 11 finalists identified by expert judges. The 2024 finalists were: 

Artistic Creation

The Factotum on Film | Produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago and Endangered Peace Productions, in association with JJE Productions by Chicago filmmaker Raphael Nash

Swann | Produced by Catapult Opera, Tamar-kali, Cynthia Marino, and James Blaszko

Sweat – a film by The Bicycle Opera Project | Produced by Larissa Koniuk and Jennifer Nichols*

Education/Enrichment Materials

The Boy Who Drew Cats | Produced by Asako Hirabayashi

Don’t Look Under the Wig | Produced by The Dallas Opera

A Pocket Magic Flute | Produced by Pocket Opera and the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre*

Noteworthy Projects

Emily & Sue: An A Cappella Pop Opera | Produced by Dana Kaufman and Aiden Feltkamp

Everest: An Immersive Experience | Produced by Brian Staufenbiel and Nicole Paiement*

Histoires Naturelles: An Animated Adaptation | Produced by Máiri Demings, Zain Solinski, and Emily Ellis

Natalya with a Y | Produced by Natalya Gennadi

Threepenny Submarine Season 1 | Produced by Opera 5 and Gazelle Automations*

*Indicates category winners.

See below for project descriptions.

The awards were selected by a jury of independent experts including Jared Cohn, filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor; Rebecca Gray, composer (2023 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera Winner, Noteworthy Projects, for Jess); David T. Little, composer (2022 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera Winner, Artistic Creation, for Soldier Songs); Josef Reisenbichler, filmmaker; and Maria Sensi Sellner, artistic and general director, Resonance Works (2022 Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera Winner, Education/Enrichment Materials, for Verdi by Vegetables: The Movie).

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

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