General

Having worked with the Genesis Foundation for a number of years, Mel Cooper has now ended his consultancy so that he can concentrate more fully on developing a new project.  The Genesis Foundation wishes him every success with his venture. Any enquiries concerning projects Mel was working on for the Genesis Foundation should be directed to infogenesisfoundation [dot] org [dot] uk.

Due to various contractual complications, the Genesis Foundation has decided reluctantly that it must withdraw its support from Tête à Tête’s proposed November production at the Riverside Studios in London of the Genesis-commissioned opera The Bald Soprano (La Cantatrice Chauve) by Jean-Philippe Calvin. A French production of La Cantatrice is still being performed in Paris from 30 April to 3 May 2009.

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Harry Christophers and The Sixteen have recorded three new choral works by three contemporary British composers: James MacMillan, Roxanna Panufnik and Will Todd. Each work is a setting of the famous prayer after communion Stay With Me, Lord, by the Capuchin priest Padre Pio.  It was premiered in front of a packed audience at a public concert at Westminster Cathedral in June 2008. The purpose of the Genesis commissions is to enhance the liturgical repertoire and to inspire and delight people of every faith and conviction.

The Studs Trust was set up to pursue the philanthropic work of American Banker, John Studzinski. Under its umbrella, he created the UK-based Genesis Foundation to concentrate on arts projects.
The Genesis Foundation works principally in the areas of opera and theatre and its brief is to support emerging talent. This is achieved by creating projects in partnership with relevant, existing institutions.

Genesis has several completed projects that can be read about on this web site. We will continue to report on the progress of these projects and also of any new projects that are undertaken. Information about past projects will be stored in our archive.

Genesis Opera Projects I and II

This early initiative was an international commissioning scheme for young composers and librettists developed in association with Aldeburgh Productions and Almeida Opera.

Through its work, several emerging composers have been brought to the attention of the Genesis Foundation. Several are now supported through direct commission. To date the major Genesis commissions have included:

Process, not competition

The Genesis Foundation believes in process, not competition.  The purpose of its work is not only to find the creative talent of the future, but also to nurture it in a suitable and supportive environment so that it can develop fully and grow to its full potential.

Objectives

The working brief of the Genesis Foundation is to become involved in projects that support artists in the earliest stage of their careers. We also work with more established artists when it is relevant to some new and important development in their career that they would otherwise not have the support to explore.

"We are about nurturing talent and providing a safe place for people to discover how to fulfil that talent after they have had the opportunity to learn their basic graft.  We are about the process of development.

If, in ten years' time, one artist has produced one successful work with the help of knowledge they gained while being supported by the Genesis Foundation - then we will have succeeded."
John Studzinski, chairman

Background

The Genesis Foundation is a UK-based charity created in January 2001 to support young artists in a variety of art forms.

The young people and the institutions it has helped have largely come to its notice through personal recommendation and through contact with others in the world of cultural development.

Objectives