OPERA America Awards IDEA Grants for 2024

Three pairs of composers and librettists of minority ethnicities will receive $18,000 towards the production of a new opera

Three composer-librettist duos have been selected for the 2024 IDEA Opera Grants, which are administered by OPERA America. Valued at $18,000, the grants are awarded to Arab, Asian, Black, Latinx, Native American, and/or Pacific Islander composer-librettist pairings to help them develop a new operatic work.

There were 69 applicants in the 2024 round. The three selected pairings are as follows:

• Nathan Felix, composer, and Anita Gonzalez, librettist, for Faces in the Flames
• Danielle Olana Jagelski, composer, and Rhiana Yazzie, librettist, for Little Ones
• Jorge Sosa, composer/librettist, for Generación Perdida

The grantees will use the funds to support the production of a workshop, reading, or other performance-based event and a high-quality video of the work in development. They will also gain access to OPERA America’s development programs, and their works will be introduced to field leaders at OPERA America’s New Works Forum and Opera Conference.

Past recipients include Kui Dong (2019), who was named a Guggenheim Fellow earlier in 2024, and Daniel Reza Sabzghabaei (2019), who is a 2024 New Music USA Awardee. In addition, Good Trouble: The Boy from Troy, which was written by Maria Thompson Corley and Diana Solomon-Glover as part of their 2022 grant, will premiere in 2026 at Cincinnati Opera as part of the company’s Black Opera Project.

The grants are supported by the Charles and Cerise Jacobs Charitable Foundation.

"We are delighted to mark the fifth anniversary of IDEA Opera Grants with another class of groundbreaking artists," said Cerise Jacobs, president of the Charles and Cerise Jacobs Charitable Foundation. "Over the past five years, it has been thrilling to see work created by winners of these awards produced on stages across the country."

"OPERA America’s commitment to supporting diverse voices in opera remains steadfast," added Marc A. Scorca, president and CEO of OPERA America. "By championing these talented creators, we are enriching the cultural tapestry of the field and ensuring its relevance for future generations. We are grateful to Cerise Jacobs and the Charles and Cerise Jacobs Charitable Foundation for their support of this essential work over the past five years."