Fort Worth Opera's 2019 Frontiers Showcase Submission Deadline Extended

Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera) announced today that the deadline for submissions has been extended for its seventh annual Frontiers showcase. Applications will now be accepted through midnight, August 31, 2018. The company's innovative program will be held May 6 and 7 during the 2019 Fort Worth Opera Festival (April 26 - May 12). Launched during FWOpera's 2012-2013 season, Frontiers remains one of the few programs world-wide that seeks out unproduced works by the finest up-and-coming composers and librettists from North, South, and Central America, and continues to be acclaimed for the opportunities it provides its chosen artists. Frontiers is generously underwritten by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Composers and librettist teams whose operatic selections are chosen as part of the Frontiers showcase gain valuable exposure for their works in a live performance environment, while also taking part in unparalleled networking opportunities with industry professionals. Individuals whose works are selected for the 2019 Frontiers showcase will be in residence during the 2019 Festival where they will attend the showcase, participate in the final rehearsals of their work, and engage in post-performance discussions with panelists and audience members. They will also receive private feedback on their piece through meetings with the Frontiers jury panel and will have a recording of their work provided to assist them further in their compositional process.

Building on the model established by the program's first six installments, the 2019 Frontiers showcase will continue in its goal of specifically seeking out works for future production in FWOpera's popular alternative venue series Opera Unbound. Following a positive reception from panelists and audiences, composer-librettist Rachel J. Peters's 2018 Frontiers showcase submission Companionship will receive its world premiere during the 2019 Festival, a testament to FWOpera's commitment to fostering new opera through this unique program. To that end, the Frontiers panelists will include potential future partners who will play a critical role in the long-term development of these works to ensure their development.

Hailed as "one of the most significant music events of the year" by D Magazine, Fort Worth Opera's Frontiers showcase 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 (Frontiers 2013) appeared during FWOpera's 2016 Festival. This past year, 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.

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. 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. In May of this year, Clint Borzoni and John de los Santos' erotic opera, When Adonis Calls (Frontiers 2015), received its world premiere with Asheville Lyric Opera.

Frontiers 2019 Submission Information:

Applications must be submitted by midnight, August 31, 2018.

Composers are eligible and invited to submit a composition via an online portal that will guarantee blind submission, and may submit one work for the 2019 Frontiers showcase. Only those that can be performed with solo piano accompaniment will be considered for the showcase; no additional electronic, percussion, acoustic instrument, or other equipment may be used. Six to eight pieces will be selected and showcased. Excerpts should be between 15-20 minutes in length and must not have been presented publicly except for workshop or school presentations. While the works may ultimately feature a large cast or orchestral forces, submitted selections may only utilize up to six singers.

Submissions must include a synopsis of the entire composition; Libretto and Piano/Vocal score of the excerpts (in order within the piece); English translation if the work is in another language. Composers and librettists must attend the rehearsal period and showcase during the 2019 Festival. Lodging and round-trip travel will be provided. Works not selected will not be automatically reconsidered for future showcases; however, these works may be submitted again for the 2020 program.

Please contact frontiers@fwopera.org for submission address and information. All materials submitted must have the composer and librettist names removed to ensure anonymity during the panel review. A non-refundable entry fee of $20 US is due upon submission. Payments will be made with the application submission online. Fort Worth Opera retains the right to select fewer than six works for the showcase. More details are available at www.fwopera.org/operas/frontiers.

ABOUT FORT WORTH OPERA: Founded in 1946, Fort Worth Opera is the oldest continually performing opera company in Texas, and one of the 14 oldest opera companies in the United States. The organization has received national attention from critics and audiences alike for its artistic excellence.

FWOpera has taken a leadership role in engaging audiences beyond the operatic stage, while producing cutting-edge, contemporary operas. Beginning in 2017, FWOpera launched the second phase of its landmark, 10-year Opera of the Americas initiative with Noches de Ópera (Nights of Opera), a groundbreaking campaign which introduces powerful operas, each reflecting the diverse cultures of new American audiences.

Fort Worth Opera is sponsored in part by awards from The Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, The City of Fort Worth, and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Additional Fort Worth Opera sponsors include: the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the Amon G. Carter Foundation; American Airlines; Art & Seek; Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust, Bank of America, Trustee; The Pangburn Foundation, J.P. Morgan Chase, Trustee; the Sid W. Richardson Foundation; Star-Telegram; and WFAA Channel 8.

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