Opera Austin Festival to Celebrate New Operas This November

Composer Nathan Felix is launching Opera Austin Festival : a celebration of newly written opera in Central Texas. The one-night festival of local and regional opera organizations, composers and singers will showcase compelling performances of works written by living composers. Opera Austin Festival was conceived by Austin-raised composer Nathan Felix with the intention to create a festival highlighting the collaborative and innovative spirit that thrives in Central Texas. Opera Austin Festival will take place November 16, 2024, and bring together entities in Austin, including LOLA, One Ounce Opera, Peter Stopchinski, Nathan Felix Opera Productions, Inversion Ensemble and more, all performing new music as part of their broader season programs. KMFA will be the media sponsor and performances will take place at KMFA's Draylen Mason Music Studio. The full roster of participants will be announced later this year, with information on tickets for the festival.

A dedicated website will be established to highlight the inaugural festival, including participating organizations, composers and performers. Opera Austin Festival will spotlight original works and arias currently being written or those written in the last three to five years by living composers, forming a body of works that resonate with the curiosity and  exploration of telling new stories in opera. Each participating organization will curate its own programming or project under the festival umbrella, in an effort to present an eclectic variety of creativity and voices. A secondary stage will feature arias sung by young artists early in their singing careers and a conference room will give composers and organizations an opportunity to discuss their works being presented.

The festival invites multiple points of view to emphasize inclusivity and diversity in all its forms and to create a program that is meaningful to the local community, comprising Austin and the state of Texas at large. Austin has a rich history rooted in blues, roots music, americana and live music but more importantly, it is home to musical experimentation and Opera Austin Festival seeks to foster this sentiment by showcasing contributions to new opera music and dream of new ways the community can come together to celebrate the exploration and experimentation which makes Austin so deeply unique.

Event Details

What: Opera Austin Festival by composer Nathan Felix

When: Saturday November 16th

Where: KMFA - 41 Navasota Street, Austin, TX 78702

Info: www.OperaAustinFestival.com

About Nathan Felix:

Nathan Felix (born 1981) is a Mexican-American composer known for his immersive operas and experimental films. Felix has premiered 15 operas, 4 symphonies and various chamber works in Spain, Japan, Australia, Bulgaria, Portugal, China, Sweden, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR, TPR & PBS. Felix, a non-award winning composer, often focuses on telling Latinx themed and minority stories that highlight border issues, underserved communities and his hispanic heritage.

In 2023, Felix wrote, composed and directed 7 new immersive operas in 6 different cities - Glory Gone (Albuquerque), The Artificial Heart (Louisville), The Paños Prophecy (Albuquerque), The Great Flood (Iowa City), The Cadence of Life (Des Moines), All is Apathetic in Love & War (Charlottesville) & The Great Hurricane (Columbia). He also participated in The 96-Hour Opera Festival hosted by the Atlanta Opera in which along with librettist Anita Gonzalez won an award for Faces in the Flames.

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