The Genesis of New Opera

A Statement by John Lloyd Davies, Head of Opera Development at ROH2

For almost a hundred years contemporary opera has been the problem child of the opera world. What was once a living and accessible art form, reflecting the time and world in which it was created, has become a narrow, academic field, rarely reaching a wider audience. Where once the arias of Don Giovanni were busked on the streets of Prague, and Verdi's tunes were pirated for barrel-organs, today new opera is the preserve of a tiny group of enthusiasts and specialists.

Yet we live in a world thoroughly and completely infused with music, one of our main sources of entertainment. And much of this music uses the human voice as its principal means of communication. The human voice, sung words, a context of meaning for musical emotion: these still answer a fundamental human need. So there must be a future for voice music, but what will it be? What will the opera of the 21st century be like? It was to try and help find answers to these questions that OperaGenesis was formed. OperaGenesis is an initiative for the development of new opera of all kinds. A key element of the Royal Opera House's innovative ROH2 programme, it is supported by the Genesis Foundation as a five-year rolling programme. OperaGenesis will act as the home of an international information and contact network, the base for a wide range of workshops and mentoring activities, and the catalyst for the creation of new opera performances for the 21st century in all kinds of venues and media.

A major part of OperaGenesis' work will be to use the opportunities provided by the internet to reach and connect people interested in music for voice throughout the world. The dedicated website at www.OperaGenesis.com will be the international centre for all our work, and will include samples of the work of our members.

The OperaGenesis community will be a natural home for all those committed to the future of opera: composers, writers, directors, musicians, designers, choreographers, critics or simply interested observers of contemporary opera.

We will seek to change the understanding of the term "opera" to create an inclusive community, ranging from contemporary classical music, to world music, jazz, experimental and ambient, and embracing performance forms from theatre to installations, film, radio and TV.

We aim to discover and connect composers and writers with an interest in opera, and help to develop ideas and projects through workshops and mentoring schemes to the point where they can be offered to producing organisations. We will not normally stage complete productions ourselves or run competitions for operas, but seek to develop work to the point where it can be produced by an appropriate partner.

The unique position of OperaGenesis within the innovative ROH2 department at the Royal Opera House allows us to benefit from the resources and experience of a major international company, while the varied work and opportunities of ROH2's programme is a natural home and inspiration for experiments towards the opera of the future.

This statement appeared in the Royal Opera House Programme for Opera World: World Music presented at the Royal Opera House from 23 to 29 January 2006.