5th Annual Call for Short Operas!
NOTE: The 2019-2020 competition is now closed.
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ONE OUNCE OPERA’S 5th ANNUAL CALL FOR SHORT OPERA SUBMISSIONS!
Composers and librettists: We’d like to formally invite you to submit work to our 5th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera Competition. Winning pieces will be produced and performed by One Ounce Opera in Austin, Texas, as part of the first – and only – short opera showcase in the state.
THE 2019-20 COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
This will be the 5th annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera (FSOO) – the premier short opera showcase of Texas. The popular, award-nominated event celebrates new works and contemporary voices.
In addition to having works produced, fully staged, and performed in Austin by a cast of professional singers, One Ounce Opera spotlights each composer/librettist in an informal interview that includes questions from the cast. Each work is highlighted in our newsletter and on social media, and each winner receives a professionally-edited live video and audio recording. At each performance, attending composers/librettists will be acknowledged and awarded a certificate (and some swag).
See composer spotlights and videos from 2018’s 3rd annual FSOO.
Creator spotlights for 4th Annual FSOO are here. (4th Annual media coming soon!)
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FAQ:
Where can I see the official rules for the FSOO competition? Guidelines appear on the entry form. The application link is live between June 1st- August 1st, 2019. Please review the rules in detail before submitting any work. Works that do not fit within the guidelines will not be considered.*
When are the performances? FSOO will be two weekends in late February/early March 2020. Exact dates will be posted soon.
Where do you stage the shows? One Ounce Opera transforms a raw, flexible artists’ warehouse in East Austin into an unexpected space for opera performance. The vibe is laid back, accessible, and inclusive.
How do I submit my files? On the entry form, you will supply a link to an online folder. We must be able to download the score, libretto, and an mp3 of the work. For accuracy, please convert all text/score files to PDF and all MIDI files to mp3 before sending. Example of what/where to upload and link to: Dropbox folder, Google Drive, YouTube, SoundCloud, other storage methods that can be accessed via link. The required materials are listed on the form. Please note: direct email of materials will not be accepted.
Will you perform my work with orchestra? FSOO performances are with piano only. We will perform from your piano/vocal score, so make sure it’s performance-ready before submitting.
Am I allowed to submit more than one work? YES! As long as each submitted work follows the guidelines of the competition, we welcome multiple entries. Guidelines can be found on the form.
I submitted more than one opera. Could they BOTH be chosen? YES! However, it is highly likely only one would be chosen.
You guys have chosen my work before. Could I enter again this year? YES. Past winners are welcome to submit new work.
How will I know if my work was chosen? Winning works will be announced via Facebook and a post on this site, and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter. Copies of all parts and any revisions will be due at that time.
How do I keep up with any new developments in the competition? For the latest details, we strongly suggest following One Ounce Opera on Facebook, and adding yourself to the Facebook event page. We will add you to our FSOO newsletter, as well.
Once again, when exactly is the deadline? The hard-and-fast deadline for entry into FSOO was 11:59pm on August 1st, 2019. Only complete applications — with all required materials received as requested by the deadline — will be considered.
I have a question not answered here. How do I get in touch? Click here to send us a message about the competition!
*Note: the competition in 2019-20 is for short operas only. Art songs and song cycles are not being reviewed this fiscal year.
4th Annual Open Call for SHORT OPERAS!
CALL FOR SHORT OPERA SUBMISSIONS!
Composers and librettists: We’d like to formally invite you to submit work to our 2019 Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera Competition. Winning pieces will be produced and performed by One Ounce Opera in Austin, Texas, as part of the first – and only – short opera showcase in the state.
DEADLINE FOR THE 2018-19 COMPETITION HAS PASSED. WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS AT THIS TIME.
This will be the 4th annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera (FSOO) – the premier short opera showcase of Texas. The popular, award-nominated event celebrates new works and contemporary voices.
In addition to having works produced, fully staged, and performed in Austin by a cast of professional singers, One Ounce Opera spotlights each composer/librettist in an informative blog post that includes questions from the cast. Each work is highlighted in our newsletter and on social media, and each winner receives a professionally-edited live video and audio recording. Let’s you look at your chances book of ra no deposit bonus. At each performance, attending composers/librettists will be acknowledged and awarded a certificate (and some swag).
See composer spotlights and videos from 2018’s 3rd annual FSOO.
FAQ:
Where can I see the official rules for the FSOO competition? Guidelines appear on the entry form. The application link is live between July 1st- September 15th, 2018. Please review the rules in detail before submitting any work. Works that do not fit within the guidelines will not be considered.*
When are the performances? FSOO will be March 22-24 and 29-31, 2019.
How do I submit my files? On the entry form, you will supply a link to an online folder. We must be able to download the score, libretto, and an mp3 of the work. For accuracy, please convert all text/score files to PDF and all MIDI files to mp3 before sending. Example of what/where to upload and link to: Dropbox folder, Google Drive, YouTube, SoundCloud, other storage methods that can be accessed via link. The required materials are listed on the form. Please note: direct email of materials will not be accepted.
Am I allowed to submit more than one work? YES! As long as each submitted work follows the guidelines of the competition, we welcome multiple entries. Guidelines can be found on the form.
I submitted more than one opera. Could they BOTH be chosen? YES! However, it is highly likely only one would be chosen.
You guys have chosen my work before. Could I enter again this year? YES. Past winners are welcome to submit new work.
How will I know if my work was chosen? Winning works will be announced via Facebook and a post on this site, and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter. Copies of all parts and any revisions will be due at that time.
How do I keep up with any new developments in the competition? For the latest details, we strongly suggest following One Ounce Opera on Facebook, and adding yourself to the Facebook event page. We will add you to our FSOO newsletter, as well.
Once again, when exactly is the deadline? Applications are closed for 2018-19. The hard-and-fast deadline for entry into FSOO was 11:59pm on September 15th, 2018. Only complete applications — with all required materials received as requested by the deadline — will be considered.
I have a question not answered here. How do I get in touch? Click here to send us a message about the competition!
*Note: the competition in 2018-19 is for short operas only. Art songs are not being reviewed this fiscal year.
Meet FSOAS '17 Winning Composer Kevin March
On Friday, November 3rd, One Ounce Opera will premiere an important piece -- Songs of Remembrance and Resistance -- at the 2nd Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Art Song. OOO soprano Amy Selby, along with Veronica Williams, will perform the song cycle. Let's hear about it from Amy and composer Kevin March now.
Amy: It will be a pleasure to perform your pieces from your set at One Ounce Opera's Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Art Song in a few weeks!
You mention in the score that, "Principled women taking principled action in the face of patriarchal warnings, persisting in spite of fear, harm or threat of harm, are to be found throughout recorded history and across cultures." Out of all of the women in history, what was it about these particular women that influenced you to choose to group them together in this set?
What composers, one living and one from the past, have had the most impact in helping you form your own style of composition? What particular features from their works inspire you?
Kevin: It’s a pleasure to have had my cycle chosen for the concert and to have it in your capable hands, or rather, voice. Thank you also for the thoughtful questions.
As to why I chose these particular women for the cycle: to put it quite simply, they saw one thing that was within their power to do and they did it. “I will save this life.” “I will resist this injustice.” “I will not accept this behaviour.” I found it remarkable that, for these women, their extraordinary responses seemed, to them, the obvious thing to do. That's both challenging and inspiring. I should also add that I have three more songs in various stages of completion, which will be added to the cycle later.
As for composers who’ve had an influence: with respect to my vocal music, the American composer William Bolcom, with whom I studied while I did my Masters and Doctorate at University of Michigan, and Claude Debussy are probably my biggest inspirations. Both are masters of text setting; both brilliantly employ every musical element to convey the text.
Experience Songs of Remembrance and Resistance on Friday, November 3rd!
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Kevin March is an award-winning, composer who’s works have been performed in North America, Australia, an Europe by Opéra de Montréal, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, the New York City Opera, and numerous chamber ensembles and soloists.
His works have been featured in the Metropolis New Music Festival and the 7th Sydney Biennale. Awards include first prize in the 3MBS National Composer Awards for his orchestral work Kambarang and the Dorian La Gallienne Prize for Ophélie. His works have been broadcast on radio and featured in the ABC National documentary Modern Muses: The Greeks and New Music.
His opera, Les Feluettes (Lilies), commissioned by Opéra du Montréal premiered to sold-out audiences, standing ovations, and rave reviews in May 2016 and was subsequently nominated for a coveted Opus Award. It’s second production with Pacific Opera Victoria in April 2017 saw more full houses and standing ovations. The Edmonton Opera will give Les Feluettes its third production in 2017.
To find out more about Kevin, visit his website www.kevinmarch.com.au.
FSOO 2017 Gets Reviewed, and Exclusive Performance Pics!
The 2nd Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera, which took place April 7-9, 2017, brought together composers from across the US — and Germany! — and the One Ounce Singers you know and love for one BIG, juicy showcase.
We tasted the future of opera, and it was GOOOOOD.
So good, the Austin Chronicle printed an entirely favorable half-page review! Here’s a little snippet:
“…when OOO set out to do this Fresh Squeezed Ounce thing again, we figured it’d be at least as enjoyable a gig as the one in 2016 – and it was….And here’s hoping there will be another one next year.” READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW HERE.
Call for Composers of Short Opera 2017
CALL FOR SHORT OPERA SUBMISSIONS!
Composers: We’d like to formally invite you to submit short operas to our 2017 Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera Competition. Winning pieces will be produced and performed on April 7, 8 & 9 in Austin, Texas.
This will be the 2nd annual FSOO, and the 3rd event as part of One Ounce Opera’s “Fresh Squeezed Ounce” series, celebrating new works and contemporary voices. In addition to having their works produced, winning composers receive a small honorarium and a live recording of one of the performances.
To apply, send a score and supplementary materials as needed* of any dramatic work(s) you would like OOO to consider, that would qualify as “opera.”
Guidelines:
1) These works should be meant for the stage, not the concert hall.
2) These works should be between 10-20 minutes in length and include minimal spoken dialogue.
3) Free-range re: topics. Preference will be given to more current issues or stories, but classic re-tellings are also super cool. Funny, quirky, serious, poignant, low-brow, high-brow — it’s all good.
4) English is preferred.
5) Piano accompaniment or piano reduction is required. For performance, other instrumentations or orchestrations will be considered – we’ll do our best.
6) The piece should be able to function as a standalone work and have no more than six main characters. If you have included a chorus, that is acceptable. Soliloquies are fine.
7) Works that are looking for a premiere and newer works (written within the past 5 years) are given preference.
*8) Midi files or MP3s of the work are required, as well. These are used primarily during the selection process.
Submission deadline is 11:59PM, December 31, 2016. Composers will be notified shortly thereafter. Copies of all parts and any revisions will be due at that time. Please contact Julie Fiore, Executive Director of OOO if you have any questions.
For the latest details, we strongly suggest following One Ounce Opera on Facebook, and adding yourself to the Facebook event page. Like and share!
OOO Supports LGBTQ Youth With Saturday's Performance
***UPDATE! The Sat 10/24 9:30 show is now FREE for LGBTQ youth and their supporters! No ticket required. Informal meet-and-greet with the cast and creators immediately follows this special performance of TBITB!
A huge OOO Hoorah! goes out to Robin and Paul Cohen, whose generous donation covers our LBGTQ Youth Alliance Show! The gift was made “in memory of Gloria Payne, [OOO Member] Danny Cohen’s grandmother, who loved all things opera, loved to laugh, and would have appreciated the irreverent spirit of One Ounce Opera.”
(OOO is family, y’all. This is so special!)***
Greetings!
As many of you know, One Ounce has been workshopping and rehearsing a world premiere comic operetta titled “There’s Beauty In the Beast (TBITB).” This one-of-a-kind piece for five singing-actors opens this Friday, October 23rd. But it’s Saturday night’s late performance we are really looking forward to…
OOO is thrilled to designate Saturday, October 24th 9:30pm as our LGBTQ Youth Alliance show. This performance will feature an informal talk-back session with the cast and creators. Help us send these young people home laughing…before curfew, of course!
EVERY TWELVE DOLLARS donated to Austin Creative Alliance on our behalf between now and this Saturday will allow one LGBTQ youth — or their supporter or family member — entrance to There’s Beauty In the Beast Saturday night! Anything over will go into the OOO general outreach fund so we may share more opera with more people!
What makes TBITB so special? I sat down with creator Michael Nesline (Esther’s Follies, Gran Fury, et al). Here are his words:
The idea of a comic Frankenstein Opera came to me years ago, when a bunch of us threw a talent show for our own amusement. I was inspired (from who knows where) to write a little ditty for Madame Frankenstein to sing to her husband, of her bewilderment and heartbreak over the utter loss of his love and affection, now showered on the Creature. Â And, bowed but not defeated, she proposes a possible solution.
I realized there might be a potential story to be told, sat down in front of my Mac Classic, wrote a few songs and a silly script, put all of it in a drawer and there it marinated for the next 15 years.
[…]With all the wonderful hubbub swarming around the transgender community, it occurred to me that this seemingly overnight recognition of people heretofore rendered invisible could be the missing linchpin to join the comedy and sincerity of the [TBITB] script, giving depth and meaning to what risked being an otherwise cartoon story.
And that nicely mirrors what’s happening right now in our world, as our society acknowledges and welcomes the transgender community. To the extent we recognize that all of life is a variation on a theme. All our lives are made richer and deeper with meaning, anytime another of us comes out of the shadows, daring to be recognized. And taking to heart the simple truth that in variety is power and pride, joy and delight.
Thanks so very much for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at the World Premiere of There’s Beauty In the Beast!
Now Hiring! Work With OOO.
NOW HIRING! WORK WITH OOO.
Take us from piano to FORTE! Become a part of the OOO team, and instrumental in a non-traditional arts organization on the forefront of the alt-classical revolution.
We need your special skills. The company is looking for a Development Intern and an Administrative Intern to begin as soon as October. Here are the official postings:
Administrative: http://www.nowplayingaustin.com/classifieds/detail/28254
Development: http://www.nowplayingaustin.com/classifieds/detail/28255
Submit a resume and cover letter here. We cannot wait to meet you!
Three Years, New Dreams, Fresh Site
On August 23, 2012, The One Ounce Opera Company was christened during a well-attended launch party at Red 7. Perhaps you were there, or perhaps you are just now discovering OOO. Either way, you are the reason we do what we do, and the reason we are able to do what we do.
Thank you.
It's hard to believe almost three years have past. Three years of dreamy collaborations, rewarding work, and personal exploration. Three years humbled by accolades, awards, and attention. Three years of growth. Of friendship. Of music.
Now, the next chapter begins.
With the launch of our re-designed site and our newly-minted status as a sponsored project of the Austin Creative Alliance, the next year will certainly be our biggest and best yet.
Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera and Art Song. A Jackass Opera Auction. The Divas and the Emcees. The return of OOO's Highfalutin Holiday. A progressive bicycle opera mystery. An interactive young people's opera. These ambitious projects -- and many more -- will be featured in the coming months.
These projects are designed for you, our curious and eclectic community. They are developed to continue to explore how classical music and culture fit into our ever-changing landscape.
Let's make way for the new around us. Let's re-imagine opera together.
Thank you for making the journey worthwhile,
Julie and the OOO Team
PS: excited by what you hear? Donate today!
PSS: we'll be announcing exclusive ticket pre-sales and member events through our NEWSLETTER. Don't miss out! Sign up now -- add your email in the footer below!
Poster Contest, Mozart Murder Mystery
Calling all artists and designers! We are taking submissions for a poster/ flyer design for OOO's Mozart Murder Mystery show. DEADLINE 7/22! Winner gets $50!
Poster should include the performance date, place, times (there are 2 shows), ticket prices, and that tickets can be purchased on HoldMyTicket.com. OOO website should also be included, and a QR code would be an added bonus. See info here or here.
Send artwork to: julie@oneounceopera.com no later than next Monday, 7/22. Three will be chosen to be voted on by OOO fans, right here on this page, and the winner announced on 7/25. Once again, winner gets $50, and recognition on the interwebs, of course! Aaaaaaaand...GO!
Questions? Please do not hesitate to ask.
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OOO Nominated for Austin Critics' Table Award!
Announced early Thursday morning, 5/23/13, One Ounce Opera received its first awards nomination -- and during our very first season! The team is humbled, excited, and feeling really blessed.
Our Austin Critics' Table Nomination was for our four collective performances as a part of Soundspace at the Blanton, back during SXSW in March.
The four scenes were directly inspired by pieces on display at the Blanton Museum of Art, and a mix of post-classical influences including electronic and rock music genres. Musicians involved were Collin Bass (guest artist, DJ track contribution), Emily Breedlove, Dalton Flake, Julie Fiore, Lauryn Gould (guest artist, flute), Michael Holderer, Jake Jacobsen, Chaz Nailor, and Rebekah Smeltzer, and they presented the following (click on the links to see video!):
- Improvised Amp'ed Flute and Voice (Emily and Lauryn)
- Live Opera + Dubstep Experiment (Julie and Rebekah, with Dalton "conducting")
- Gershwin Meets Harlem Renaissance (Chaz, featuring an original track by Collin)
- Super Mario Anvil Chorus (Chaz, Dalton, Jake and Michael, featuring an original track by Collin)
OOO is in pretty awesome company, too. Read the full nominations. I know I am still floored. It's great news to wake up to -- and all before my morning coffee.
Cheers, friends, and congrats to all!
-Julie