The Atlanta Opera announced the winner of its fourth annual 96-Hour Opera Festival, a yearly program that spotlights the creative works of artists from under-represented communities.
Taking the top spot this year was Dina Pruzhansky (composer) and Hai-Ting Chinn (librettist) for their original work Rose, Tree (Rosenbaum and Li).
Set in 1967, the duo’s 10-minute opera scene explores the dissolution of cultural divides as a Jewish Holocaust survivor and a American-born Chinese woman support their children’s interracial relationship.
The winning piece was performed in front of a live audience at Morehouse College’s Ray Charles Performing Arts Center.
For earning top honor, Pruzhansky and Chinn received a $10,000 grand prize and will get the opportunity to develop their scene into a full chamber show, with support from The Atlanta Opera.
This year’s festival featured five original opera scenes (selected from over 60 applicants), all of which were created and rehearsed in just four days.
Utilizing the festival’s theme of “Love Overcoming Boundaries” for inspiration, the other original works featured include sci-fi comedy TransBliss™ (named runner-up to Rose, Tree), Desert Bloom (winner of the program’s “Audience Favorite” award), sub rosa and Mi sangre, mi corazón.
In preparation for the showcase, the participating artists arrived in Atlanta with their completed opera shorts and worked with industry leaders (who served as mentors), local casts and music directors over a 96-hour period.
In addition to showing off this year’s shows, the event also hosted the world premiere of Steele Roots, the 96-Hour Opera Festival’s 2023 winner about Atlanta philanthropist Carrie Steele.