Canada’s Against The Grain Theatre has won one of the first ever Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera for its highly lauded video production Messiah/Complex.
The inaugural Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera were recently announced by OPERA America, with winners in four categories, including Artistic Creation, Education/Enrichment Material, University/Conservatory Projects, and Noteworthy Projects. The new awards recognize work created for digital platforms, with individual producers as well as organizations in the United States and Canada eligible to apply.
The winner’s list
From over 100 submissions, 14 finalists were chosen. That short list was winnowed to four winners.
- Category: Artistic Creation — Soldier Songs (David T. Little with Opera Philadelphia)
- Category: Education/Enrichment Material — Verdi by Vegetables: The Movie (Resonance Works)
- Category: University/Conservatory Project — Please Look: A Cinematic Opera Experience (Opera ND, University of Notre Dame)
- Category: Noteworthy Project — Messiah/Complex (Against the Grain Theatre)
“With the Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera, we celebrate a new vehicle for creating, distributing, and experiencing opera,” says Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of OPERA America in a media release. “Opera on digital platforms — a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic — has proven to be an invaluable addition to the field, inviting new levels of innovation and service to audiences. We are pleased to be able to share these remarkable projects with the public.”
The finalists
The judges’ list includes a who’s who of the music and opera world, including Mary Birnbaum, director, producer, The Juilliard School, and Taylor Long, production manager, Canadian Opera Company. The list of remaining finalists also includes familiar names for Toronto audiences.
Artistic Creation
- Garden of Vanished Pleasures | Submitted by Soundstreams
- The Knock | Submitted by The Glimmerglass Festival, Helio Arts
- Sāvitri | Submitted by Against the Grain Theatre
Education/Enrichment Material
- Boston Baroque for Kids: The Four Seasons | Submitted by Boston Baroque
- Playground Opera’s La Cenerentola | Submitted by Opera on Tap
University/Conservatory Projects
- Gianni Schicchi, An Animated Opera | Submitted by CSUN Opera, California State University, Northridge
Noteworthy Projects
- desert in | Submitted by Boston Lyric Opera
- The Island We Made | Submitted by Opera Philadelphia
- Sweet Land | Submitted by The Industry
- Twilight: Gods | Submitted by Lyric Opera of Chicago
All four winning projects, along with the rest of the finalists, can be viewed for a limited time starting today [HERE].
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