THE SCOOP | Against The Grain Theatre’s Messiah/Complex Wins Opera America Award
Canada’s Against The Grain Theater has won one of the first-ever Digital Opera Awards for its highly acclaimed video production Messiah/Complex.
The first Digital Opera Excellence Awards were recently announced by OPERA America, with winners in four categories, including Artistic Creation, Education/Enrichment Materials, University/Conservatory Projects, and remarkable. 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 list of winners
From over 100 submissions, 14 finalists were chosen. This short list has been winnowed down to four winners.
- Category: Artistic Creation — soldier songs (David T. Little with Opera Philadelphia)
- Category: Educational/Enrichment Materials — Greened by Vegetables: The Movie (Resonance works)
- Category: University/Conservatory Project — Please Watch: A Cinematic Opera Experience (Opera ND, Notre-Dame University)
- Category: Remarkable project — Messiah/Complex (Theatre against the grain)
“With the Awards for Digital Excellence in Opera, we are celebrating a new vehicle for the creation, distribution and experience of opera,” said Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America in a Press 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 list of judges includes a who’s who from the world of music and opera, including Mary Birnbaum, Director, Producer, The Juilliard School, and Taylor Long, Production Manager, Canadian Opera Company. The list of remaining finalists also includes names familiar to Toronto audiences.
Artistic creation
- Garden of Vanished Pleasures | Proposed by Sound streams
- The shot | Submitted by The Glimmerglass Festival, Helio Arts
- Savitri | Submitted by Against the Grain Theater
Educational/Enrichment Materials
- Boston Baroque for Kids: The Four Seasons | Submitted by Boston Baroque
- The Cenerentola of the Opera Playground | Submitted by Opera on Tap
University/conservatory projects
- Gianni Schicchi, An animated opera | Submitted by CSUN Opera, California State University, Northridge
Notable projects
- desert in | Submitted by Boston Lyric Opera
- The island we created | Submitted by the Philadelphia Opera
- sweet earth | Submitted by industry
- Twilight: Gods | Submitted by Lyric Opera of Chicago
The four winning projects, along with the other finalists, can be viewed for a limited time starting today [HERE].
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Anya Wassenberg is a Senior Writer and Digital Content Writer at Ludwig Van. She is an experienced freelance writer, blogger and writing trainer for OntarioLearn.