2018

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS

 

Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera 2023

Collaborative Opera Lab

29 August to 8 September 2023

International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester, M1 5BY, UK

 

Are you a young or emerging artist interested in making new opera? Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera (MCYO) invite applications for the forthcoming Collaborative Opera Lab.

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Who are we looking for?

• We welcome applications from young and emerging artists of all backgrounds and educational experience.

• Participants with creative skills and an interest in collaborating.

• We are interested in people working in any artform. Examples might include visual art, performance (vocal or instrumental), writing, animation, design, composition, but we’d love to hear from you if your discipline isn’t on this list.  

• Applicants should be aged 18 or over and self-define as ‘young’ or ‘emerging’

• No experience of making opera is needed.

 

What does it involve?

• You will work as a small group of artists with diverse skillsets to create and perform an opera.

• Participants will work together to lead the creative work in a distributed-leadership model, facilitated by the MCYO Artistic Directors and guest mentors.

• Over seven days of making time, you will create an opera with a maximum duration of 15 minutes.

• On the final day, we will film your opera, and you will perform it three times to a friendly public audience.

• You will be based in the International Anthony Burgess Foundation throughout, with time for rest and individual work over the middle weekend.

• Our working days will typically be weekdays 10am-5pm, with a later finish on the final day (8 September).

 

What does it cost?

• Thanks to generous support from the Henfrey Charitable Trust, we are able to offer heavily subsidised places for a course fee of £120. (The actual cost of a place on the Collaborative Opera Lab is in excess of £1000.)

• Applicants who are unable to pay £120 to participate have an opportunity to request a full fee bursary on their application form.

• Please note that fees and bursaries are for participation in the lab only, and do not include transport, accommodation or subsistence costs.
   

How will participants be supported?

• The participant-led group will be supported by experienced mentors, including MCYO Artistic Directors Richard Strivens and Nina Whiteman.

• The group will be given a small production budget to spend.

• MCYO will provide lunch every day.

• The International Anthony Burgess Foundation building is wheelchair accessible and close to public transport connections.

• It is important to us that we make participation accessible to you. Please let us know of any requirements when you apply.

 

How will participants be chosen?

• Applications will be judged on merit.

• We will look to create a group with a broad range of skills.

• A panel will select the participants: Nina Whiteman (composer-vocalist and MCYO Artistic Director), Sam Salem (composer http://www.osamahsalem.co.uk/), Lucy Farrimond (past participant of MCYO and soprano https://www.lucyfarrimondmusic.co.uk/) and Richard Strivens (opera animateur/dramaturge and MCYO Artistic Director).

 

How do I apply? What do I need to submit?

• Application form (download at https://mcyopera.wixsite.com/mcyo)

• A 1-minute video of you sharing imaginative original work that shows what you could contribute to the collaboration.  

  • The video could be shot on your phone. Please let us know if you need to submit in a different format (e.g. audio/written) by emailing mcyopera@gmail.com.

  • Your video should be sent as a link, rather than as a file (e.g. upload it to YouTube as ‘unlisted’).

• Send the application form and video link to mcyopera@gmail.com by the deadline of Friday 2 June 5pm BST.

• If you need to receive the application form in a different format, or need help completing the form, please contact mcyopera@gmail.com.

 

Questions?

• Feel free to DM us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, or write to us at mcyopera@gmail.com