We are delighted to launch our 2026 Collaborative Opera Lab, which is now open for applications. 📣📣📣
Following a new format for this year, we are looking for young and emerging artists in two application categories:
1. ‘Creative Development Team’ (seeking a pre-formed team of artists)
2. ‘Collaborating Performer’ (looking for up to five individual performers with different skills)
The deadline to apply is 5pm BST on Tuesday 26 May, and full details are on our website (link in bio).
We are grateful for support from The Henfrey Charitable Trust and @contactmcr ♥️
@ninawhiteman
Coming up on Sunday: online premieres of our two short operas created on the Collaborative Opera Lab residency last summer. Please join us on YouTube at 8:30pm for ‘The way is empty’ and 8:45pm for ‘In the engine of its throat’ (links in bio!)
#newopera #collaboration #contemporaryopera
Congratulations to all our 2025 Collaborative Opera Lab artists for their wonderful performances yesterday. 🤩🔊🎻🎶
Here are photos of us filming the operas yesterday morning with @samgeemedia
Watch out for the online show in the Autumn for a second chance to see ‘The way is empty’ and ‘In the engine of its throat’.
A huge thank you to our funders, The Henfrey Charitable Trust, and to our hosts @contactmcr for enabling us to make this work happen. Thanks also to everyone who made it along to the live shows 🧡
@libertyrichardsonmusic@lucian.musician@alangj2oo1@composerpeat@weatherissues@llkatherinelll@ninawhiteman
Tech ✅
Dress ✅
Ready for performances tomorrow ✅
A big thank you to everyone at @contactmcr (especially ace technician Zeph) for your help today! And to guest mentor Gareth Mattey for guiding the teams through their tech process 🧢
Please come and see our shows tomorrow (1730 or 1930)! The ticket link is in our bio, or head to the Contact website 🎟️🎟️🎟️
#newopera #collaboration #opera #contemporary
@weatherissues@llkatherinelll@alangj2oo1@libertyrichardsonmusic@lucian.musician@composerpeat@ninawhiteman
Announcing our selected 2025 Collaborative Opera Lab artists!
This is Richard Peat. Richard has skills in: Composition for voices and instruments. Inclusive composition. Collaboration with librettists and animateurs. Workshop leading.
Welcome Rick!
#contemporaryopera @composerpeat
Announcing our selected 2025 Collaborative Opera Lab artists!
This is Seth Connor-Fullwood. Seth has skills in: Writer of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, and regularly performs own poetry. Facilitating writing workshops. Editing. Performing in theatre. Co-curating exhibitions.
Welcome Seth!
#contemporaryopera
Our operas have titles!
‘In the engine of its throat’ will be performed at Contact tomorrow (Friday!) at 1730 and at 1930.
It’s one of two 15-minute operas made in just ten days by a group of young and emerging artists.
Please join us at one of the shows! Ticket link in bio 🎟️
@contactmcr@ninawhiteman@llkatherinelll@weatherissues
#contemporaryopera #new #opera
Our operas have titles!
‘The way is empty’ will be performed @contactmcr tomorrow (Friday!) at 1730 and at 1930.
It’s one of two 15-minute operas made in just ten days by a group of young and emerging artists.
Please join us at one of the shows! Ticket link in bio 🎟️
@libertyrichardsonmusic@lucian.musician@alangj2oo1@composerpeat@ninawhiteman
#contemporaryopera #new #opera
More pics from devising and collaborating over the last few days. We’ve been promised titles for the two 15-minute operas soon, so watch this space 👀🎶
Thanks so much to our ace guest mentor Elayce Ismail for her super helpful feedback at this stage in the process! @elayceismail
Please buy your tickets for Friday’s shows at @contactmcr in advance via the link in our bio 🎟️
This was day 4! The two groups continued working on their 15-minute operas. Thanks to our hosts at Space for Change and @uommusic 🤗
Days 5 and 6 were for rest and individual work 💻💤📝 🎻 🎤 ready for week 2.
Performances are on Friday @contactmcr (ticket link in bio). Please come along!
And day three! A technical briefing and demo of the lighting @contactmcr followed by more devising with input from guest mentor Gareth Mattey.
Oh, and another bird popped up in the studio 🐦 💜
Tickets available for the performances of two new 15-minute operas 🎟️ next Friday 5 September: please visit the link in our bio!
