Opera Vista Announces 2010 Festival
• “American Idol for opera composers” brings works from across US, Denmark, Poland, & Spain to Houston
(HOUSTON, TX ) Opera Vista, winner of the 2010 Houston Press MasterMind Award, announces the 2010 Opera Vista Festival, featuring the 3rd Annual Vista Competition for New Opera, will take place March 20th-27th.
"The Vista Competition is unique in that it gives composers the opportunity to have their works performed by professional singers and instrumentalists," says Viswa Subbaraman, Artistic Director of Opera Vista. "They have a wonderful opportunity to interact with many well-known people from the world of opera and classical music, but I think more importantly, they get an insight into how their work is perceived by the audience."
In October, seven semi-finalists from three countries were selected, ranging from adaptations of a Japanese folk tale to a horror opera. Excerpts from each work will be performed on March 24th & 26th at the Czech Center Museum Houston, 4920 San Jacinto at Wichita, beginning at 7:30pm. A panel of judges, including world-renowned composer Daron Hagen and Leslie Dunner of the Joffrey Ballet, will critique each excerpt, and the audience will vote to select which operas will advance. In the final round, the winning excerpts will be performed again with a longer critique from the judges, but then the audience will get to directly question the composers. The audience then votes to determine the winner of the competition, which will be announced March 27th at the festival's closing performance. The winner receives $1,500 and a full production of their opera at the next festival.
“This event is great for Houston not only culturally, but also economically,” says Joe Carl White, Executive Director of Opera Vista. "We provide employment for some of the many top-flight musicians that are based here, and we are building an event that already draws interest from all over the world. When you think of new film you think of Cannes or Sundance. I want people, when they think of new opera, to think of Houston."
About Opera Vista
Founded in 2007, Opera Vista has already proven popular with audiences and critics alike. Hundreds enjoy its annual Opera Under the Stars production, presented by the Bayou Bend Museum of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Each month OV’s Opera 101 event at Boheme Café & Wine Bar focuses on a different aspect of opera presented in a casual atmosphere.
Opera Vista is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and performance of new works by contemporary composers. OV is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition, the Texas Association of Non-Profits, and the Greater Houston Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Artistic Director & Co-Founder
Viswa Subbaraman
Executive Director
Joe Carl White
