The winning team will be awarded a commission to write an opera for The Atlanta Opera to premiere and $10,000 in cash. 

Designed specifically for composers and librettists from historically underrepresented communities, the competition is only open to those who self-identify as Black, Indigenous, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, Arab-American, Latin-American or other communities of color. 

The four-day competition runs from June 17 to June 20 with open-to-the-public performances of the new operas held Monday, June 20.  

Each creative team will be assigned a story drawn from Georgia’s past and present based on materials provided by this year’s “Stories that Resonate” partners, representative nonprofit organizations with storytelling at their core. 

The Atlanta Opera provides singing talent, a pianist and a director to assist with staging, plus, a treasure trove of background information from the Stories that Resonate partner organizations to spark imagination. 

In partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Atlanta Opera Film Studio will produce a mini-series using filmed portions of the competition and supplemental interviews that will be shown on GPB stations across the state and online.  

Applications for 96-Hour Opera Project open Dec. 2021. 

Morris Robinson

Internationally renowned bass and Atlanta native Morris Robinson will serve as the artistic advisor for this year’s competition, working with creative teams throughout the competition as well as serving as one of the judges. 

“Projects like this one are necessary in order to move the needle for composers and librettists of color. I’m proud to be part of a company that is doing this work.”

Tomer Zvulun

“With this effort, we are determined to the tell stories of underrepresented and unheard voices. We know these are inspiring stories of hard-won struggles and everyday heroes that are too often untold. We are committed to celebrating the diversity of our state and making the space for BIPOC artists to create.