OUR NEXT WORLD PREMIERE!

We are thrilled to announce that Chicago Opera Theater will be producing the World Premiere of SHE WHO DARED, by composer Jasmine Arielle Barnes and librettist Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton. Developed under the auspices of the Composer Librettist Development Program, SHE WHO DARED is, remarkably, the first opera to be professionally produced in the United States that has been written by two Black female artists. Everyone has heard of Rosa Parks, but she wasn’t the first to refuse to move. She Who Dared recenters the spotlight on the courageous women who helped desegregate the Montgomery bus system in the 1950’s leading to the momentous court case of Browder v. Gayle. The highly melodic score liberally references musical idioms of the time, including soul, gospel, and protest music. While often riotous and sometimes hilarious, She Who Dared demonstrates how everyday people have the power to challenge the systems around them and affect tangible change – if only they dare. The World Premiere production will take place in June of 2025 in Chicago. Visit the Chicago Opera Theater website for more details!

HOT OFF THE PRESSES!

NEWSFLASH! Congratulations to Justine F. Chen and David Simpatico - THE LIFE AND DEATH(S) OF ALAN TURING, presented by our partners at Chicago Opera Theater, has been named the best world premiere of 2023 by the Chicago Tribune! "Fantastical, evocative and nuanced, this operatic account of the persecuted British polymath was a feat of stage synchronicity from composer Justine F. Chen, librettist David Simpatico and scenic designer Benjamin Olsen. Companies everywhere should clamor to produce it." For interested companies and schools, the world premiere production is available from COT, and licensing is available from ALT!

NEWSFLASH! Our partners at Opera Modesto have a huge hit on their hands! Evan Meier and E.M. Lewis’s SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE FALLEN GIANT received its world premiere in January in an enchanting production for audiences of all ages. Following their performances of the complete opera, an abridged touring version will be performed by the company at over 20 different schools and public venues across the region. For interested companies and schools, licensing for future performances is available from ALT!

NEWSFLASH! The entire American Lyric Theater family congratulates Lila Palmer on her appointment as General and Artistic Director of New Orleans Opera! Lila is not only an alumna of the CLDP and a remarkable librettist (don't miss the world premiere of her new opera, AMERICAN APOLLO, with composer Damien Geter this summer at Des Moines Metro Opera), but her innovative work at ALT as a member of our senior management team has helped to shape many of our current and future initiatives. We look forward to seeing how Lila's creativity helps to shape the future of New Orleans Opera!

The Composer Librettist Development Program

HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED TELLING YOUR STORIES THROUGH OPERA?

In 2021, ALT presented the first-ever virtual CLDP Opera Writers Symposium! We invited composers, playwrights, lyricists, poets, and all artists with stories to tell to experience a taste of ALT's Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP) through a series of free mini-seminars and workshops including Dramatizing History and Opera as Activism and A Legal Primer for Composers and Librettists. Whether you’re a writer or an opera lover, you can now enjoy the symposium sessions on your own schedule!

RACIAL
JUSTICE

Opera is the ultimate storytelling form, and who tells what stories matters. In 2020, American Lyric Theater adopted The Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative, a strategic framework that has evolved into a series of tangible actions to address racial justice and equity in American Lyric Theater’s contributions to the opera field.