‘Atlanta Opera Plans 96-Hour Opera Festival for June 2024’

The Atlanta Opera is gearing up for its third annual 96-Hour Opera Festival, which aims to showcase the talents of composers and librettists from under-represented communities. Originally started as a composition competition, this year’s festival will see ten-minute operas created by composer and librettist pairs.

The festival kicks off with the world premiere of the 2022 winning opera titled “Forsyth County is Flooding (with the Joy of Lake Lanier)” by Marcus Norris and Adamma Ebo. Following this, the 2023 winning opera “Steele Roots” by Selda Sahin and Dave Ragland will be workshopped.

Winners of this year’s competition stand a chance to win a ,000 Antinori Foundation Grand Prize along with a commission from the Atlanta Opera for a new chamber opera to be produced in an upcoming season. All participants are guaranteed a ,000 honorarium.

“The 96-Hour Opera competition has evolved into a full-fledged festival this year,” stated Tomer Zvulun, the general and artistic director of the Atlanta Opera. “We are not only hosting a prestigious competition to discover and commission new talents but we are also presenting the world premiere of Forsyth County is Flooding and workshopping Steele Roots. This program has become a season highlight and we are thrilled to see its growth into a festival in such a short span of time.”