![Composer George Tsz-Kwan Lam and librettist David Davila work with their performance team for the 96-Hour Opera Project 2024. (courtesy of The Atlanta Opera]](https://www.earrelevant.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ATLOpera_96Hr_BBB0710_800x450-624x351.jpg)
Applications now open for 2026 96-Hour Opera Project
EarRelevant Staff | 17 DEC 2025
ATLANTA, Georgia— will relaunch its annual new-works initiative in 2026 as the NOW Festival (New Opera Works), renaming and expanding what has been known as the 96-Hour Opera Festival, the company announced Tuesday.
Tazewell Thompson (courtesy of The Atlanta Opera)
The company also said that director, librettist, and playwright Tazewell Thompson will serve as artistic advisor for the festival, a role that includes mentoring emerging artists and guiding the program’s artistic direction.
Applications are now open for the 2026 edition of the 96-Hour Opera Project, the festival’s composition competition for composer–librettist teams. The project is open to applicants across the United States, with an application deadline of Feb. 10, 2026. Selected teams will compete for a $10,000 prize as part of a $25,000 commission package, according to the company.
Five teams will be chosen to write new 10-minute operas over a three-month period. The works will then be refined during a four-day residency, June 10–13, 2026, at Morehouse College in Atlanta. The residency includes rehearsals with singers, collaboration with a music director, and preparation for public performance. The resulting showcase will be presented at the festival and open to the public.
The 2026 NOW Festival is scheduled to take place over three days in June. Public events will include the world premiere of Water Memory (Jala Smirti) by composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan, winners of the 2024 competition. The work, which explores the use of artificial intelligence to support people with dementia, will be presented on June 12 and June 14 at the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech.
Kitty Brazelton and Vaibu Mohan, winners of the 2024 96-Hour Opera Project. (courtesy of The Atlanta Opera)
The 96-Hour Opera Project Competition and Showcase will take place on June 13 at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College, featuring premieres of the short operas created by the selected teams.
Tickets for festival performances are expected to go on sale in March 2026.
Thompson, whose work spans opera, theater, and new music, is best known in the opera world as the librettist of Blue, composed by Jeanine Tesori. The opera premiered in 2019 and has since been staged by major companies in the United States and Europe. Thompson has directed more than 150 productions worldwide and has received Emmy nominations for his work on Porgy and Bess, broadcast on PBS’ “Live From Lincoln Center.”
The company’s general and artistic director, Tomer Zvulun, said the rebranded festival is intended to highlight contemporary storytelling and support emerging voices in opera.
Founded in 2022, the festival pairs composers and librettists to develop short operatic works under time constraints, with winning teams receiving commissions and opportunities for further development. Past participants have included composers and writers whose works have gone on to receive full productions.
The Atlanta Opera, founded in 1979, achieved Opera America “Tier One” status in 2024. In recent seasons, the company has expanded its mainstage offerings, education programs, and new-works initiatives, while also undertaking a new production of Wagner’s Ring cycle, scheduled to conclude in 2026 with Götterdämmerung (”Twilight of the Gods”), May 30 –June 6, at Cobb Energy Centre.
More information about the NOW Festival and the 96-Hour Opera Project application process is available on the company’s website at atlantaopera.org. ■
“Creative Collaboration” – AI illustration generated using ChatGPT (GPT-5.2)
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- The Atlanta Opera atlantaopera.org.
- Tazewell Thompsontazewellthompson.com.
Read more by EarRelevant Staff.
RECENT POSTS
Pianist Choo Choo Hu pairs Boulanger, Debussy, and Schubert in a concise recital of poetic reflection • 13 Jan 2026
Jennifer Higdon reflects on her music for ‘Cold Mountain,’ opera, and writing to performers’ strengths • 09 Jan 2026
.png){kind=logo}