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| Beth Morrison Projects | |
|---|---|
| Name | Beth Morrison Projects |
| Formation | 2006 |
| Founder | Beth Morrison |
| Type | Nonprofit producer |
| Location | New York City, United States |
| Focus | Contemporary opera, experimental music theater, interdisciplinary performance |
| Notable works | "Dog Days", "An American Soldier", "Dead Man Walking", "Breaking the Waves" |
Beth Morrison Projects
Beth Morrison Projects is a New York–based producing entity specializing in contemporary opera, experimental music theater, and interdisciplinary performance. Founded in 2006 by producer Beth Morrison, the organization has produced, commissioned, and presented new works by a wide array of composers, librettists, and directors, collaborating with major institutions and festivals across the United States and internationally. The organization is known for nurturing bold, risk-taking projects that intersect with avant-garde composition, theater, and visual arts.
Founded in 2006 by producer Beth Morrison, the organization emerged during a period of renewed interest in contemporary opera and new music theater. Early collaborators included composers and librettists who later became influential in the 21st-century opera scene, working alongside institutions such as Lincoln Center Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, and Tanglewood Music Center. The company developed a reputation for site-specific presentations and co-commissions with presenters like The Kennedy Center, MusicNOW Festival, The Barbican Centre, and Miller Theatre.
Throughout the 2010s the organization increased its commissioning activity, partnering with ensembles and presenters including Kronos Quartet, American Composers Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Los Angeles Opera. Festivals and venues such as Spoleto Festival USA, Vienna Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, and Sydney Festival hosted premieres. The company’s projects often traveled between regional houses like Hippodrome Theatre and international stages such as Royal Opera House and Opéra Comique.
The organization’s mission emphasizes commissioning and producing new operatic and music-theater works that expand the boundaries of the genre. Programming focuses on collaborations with contemporary composers, librettists, directors, visual artists, and choreographers, fostering partnerships with figures associated with International Contemporary Ensemble, Bang on a Can, Ensemble Signal, Alarm Will Sound, and New Amsterdam Records. The company programs short-form works, multi-act operas, and experimental pieces that engage with venues ranging from black-box theaters to symphony halls, often co-commissioning with institutions such as Seattle Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and San Francisco Opera.
Educational and outreach activities have involved residencies and workshops with conservatories and schools, including Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music, and Curtis Institute of Music, fostering emerging artists and promoting collaboration between composers and performers.
Highlights include premieres and productions by prominent composers and librettists such as Philip Glass, Missy Mazzoli, David T. Little, Robert Ashley, Kaija Saariaho, John Adams, Jake Heggie, Caroline Shaw, Du Yun, Marnie Ellen Hertzler (note: example lesser-known collaborators), and librettists linked with contemporary theater. Signature productions include large-scale operas and chamber operas premiered or promoted in partnership with presenters like Metropolitan Opera, LA Philharmonic, Peabody Institute, New York City Opera (revival presenters), and Opera Philadelphia.
Commissioned and produced titles that received widespread attention include projects related to social and political themes presented at venues such as Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, BAM, Spoleto Festival USA, and international festivals including Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Salzburg Festival.
The organization has an extensive network of collaborations with orchestras, opera companies, festivals, presenters, and ensembles. Key partners have included New York City Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, and presenter organizations such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library & Museum. Ensemble partnerships include Kronos Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, and So Percussion. The company has also worked with visual artists and theater directors affiliated with The Wooster Group, Pina Bausch-linked choreographers, and contemporary designers active at Princeton University and Harvard University performing arts initiatives.
International co-commission and co-production partners have included Royal Opera House, Opéra National de Lyon, La Monnaie, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and festivals like Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Productions and commissions have received awards, nominations, and critical honors from institutions and organizations such as the Pulitzer Prize committees (for associated composer recognition), Grammy Awards (for recorded projects), and honors from critics’ circles including The New York Times critics and regional awards like the Pulitzer Center-affiliated grants, foundation fellowships, and artist residencies. Individual collaborators have received Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships, and commissions from entities including National Endowment for the Arts, Howard Gilman Foundation, MAP Fund, and New Music USA.
Founded and led by Beth Morrison, the organization functions as a producing entity that often operates through project-based staffing and partnerships. Its organizational model includes artistic producers, production managers, and development personnel working with co-producers, commissioning committees, and advisory boards drawn from producers, composers, directors, and presenters linked to institutions like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and major opera houses. Governance typically involves a board of directors with experience in nonprofit arts administration, fundraising, and presenter relations.
The organization is credited with helping to revitalize interest in contemporary opera and new music theater in the 21st century, supporting the careers of composers, librettists, and directors who have become central to current repertoires. Critics from outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and specialized publications like Opera News and Theatermania have covered its premieres and productions, often noting the company’s role in commissioning daring, topical, and formally innovative works. Its projects frequently spark discussion in academic and journalistic circles at institutions like Columbia University, New York University, University of California, Berkeley, and Princeton University performing-arts research.
Category:American opera companies