About

BMP is delighted to announce the ten selected semi-finalists for the third cycle of BMP: Next Gen, our flagship program for early career composers.

Work from all ten semi-finalists will be performed in concert at National Sawdust on November 23-24. Beth Morrison, along with a panel of industry luminaries, will select two finalists who will be commissioned to create a 30-minute opera-theatre work that will be produced by BMP.

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First launched in 2017-18, the BMP: Next Gen was created to empower and inspire the next wave of visionary composers, singers, and artists. By bridging the gap between academic study and professional artistry, this program nurtures emerging talents, offering them the platform and resources they need to revolutionize opera and music-theatre.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS

Applicants are invited to submit vocal works up to 10 minutes in length.

From the initial pool of applicants, 10 first-round semi-finalists will be selected to participate in a weekend of live performances at NYC’s National Sawdust on November 23 and 24, 2024 — their vocal works will also be produced by BMP. Two finalists will be chosen by a panel of industry professionals to win commissions for 30-minute vocal-theater works for Cycle 3 of the competition, which will be held in 2025. The winner will receive a commission for an evening-length vocal-theater work, including the development and World Premiere production of their composition.

“We at BMP are always in search of the newest generation of voices in composition of opera theater,” said BMP’s President and Creative Producer Beth Morrison on the call for applications, according to Broadway World. “Next Gen is our effort to connect with these most brilliant young minds. I cannot wait to review the incredible amount of creative, provocative, and genre defying works we have received in previous years. Reviewing these materials has and continues to assure me we are living in a new golden age of contemporary opera-theatre.”

ABOUT BETH MORRISON PROJECTS

Founded in 2006 to support the work of living composers and their collaborators, BMP has featured at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Disney Hall, The Barbican, Lincoln Center, The Walker Art Center, The Beijing Music Festival, The Holland Festival, and more. Current and upcoming projects include works by composers Mohammed Fairouz, Michael Gordon, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, Elvis Perkins, Paola Prestini, Ellen Reid, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Jeremy Schonfeld, and more.

Support

Produced by Beth Morrison Projects. Presented by Beth Morrison Projects and National Sawdust.

Leadership support for the first round of BMP: NEXTGEN 3 provided by Charlotte Isaacs.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Beth Morrison Projects’ programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.