Opera Writing Overview
Aldeburgh has had a long history of producing new opera; one of the reasons the Aldeburgh Festival was founded in 1948 was to give a home to Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears' English Opera Group. Many significant works by contemporary composers have been premiered at Aldeburgh, in addition to performances of established works from the 20th-century canon.
In 2007, Aldeburgh Music and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation launched the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme, designed for composers, writers and directors who want to widen their horizons and equip themselves to create contemporary work combining music, theatre and text.
The Jerwood Opera Writing Programme consists of two stages: Foundation and Fellowships. Both are aimed at those with little or no experience of writing an opera, with the Foundation offering a series of workshops for participants to develop their skills, and the Fellowships providing tailor-made support for those who wish to create a new work.
We are now accepting applications for Jerwood Opera Writing Fellowships. For further information and details of how to apply please use the links on the right.
Jerwood Opera Writing Programme
Chief Executive, Jonathan Reekie introduces the programme and foundation participant, Sasha Siem.
‘Every moment of those precious rehearsal hours was instructive. There is no substitute for actually writing and rehearsing an opera.’ – Marcy Kahan
‘It was a remarkable experience and I think every participant came to realise how unique, exciting and special the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme is. I will definitely write opera in the future.’ – Jack Underwood
Jerwood Opera Writing Programme Blog
Foundation participant, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, shares his thoughts of the first, second and third weeks in these fascinating blog posts.