Applications for the 2024 Digital Emerging Artists Program are now open.
Manitoba Opera’s 2024 Digital Emerging Artists Program is a four-week training intensive designed to help emerging artists build on the momentum of their previous experiences.
By providing both time and resources, this program hosts skill development opportunities for the modern world and helps artists to cultivate their creative voice.
Through private technical instruction, masterclasses, career exploration discussion, digital platform and application coaching, singers will gain preparation for their unique journey as they embark on a career in opera.
Now in its fourth year, our internationally renowned faculty help to prepare participants for success as engaging multi-platform performers.
The 2024 Digital Emerging Artists Program is a paid professional development opportunity that will take place entirely online. Practical instruction, workshops, and masterclasses will occur over video conferencing platforms.
The Digital Emerging Artists Program runs from:
August 1 through August 29, 2024
Application deadline: Sunday, May 5
About the Program
During this four-week intensive, participants will study with a core faculty of four vocal teaching artists: Tracy Dahl, Monica Huisman, Marion Newman, and John Tessier, director Ann Hodges, and award-winning filmmaker Stephen Bell. The faculty serve as mentors throughout the program, providing individual and tandem instruction and masterclasses for participants. Guest teaching artists and presenters will provide individual and group sessions on interpretation, language coaching, professional development, and more. Participants’ daily schedules are comprised of a combination of personal and group voice instruction, creative workshops, and professional development sessions.
Participants will learn valuable project management skills as they develop, record, and produce a music video project of their own design. From the storyboard to the studio, participants will develop their ideas with the support of core faculty and recording professionals, experiencing every step involved in creating and producing a high–quality video. Manitoba Opera staff will coordinate production logistics.
Successful applicants will be notified by June 1, 2024.
Stipend: $2000 paid in 2 instalments Workload: 80 hours
2024 Emerging Artists Will:
- Receive private voice lessons with core voice faculty
- Perform in master classes led by core faculty
- Work with repertoire coaches on acting and diction
- Engage in discussions with industry professionals about current topics in opera such as new works, audition advice, civic engagement, and decolonizing opera
- Develop and practice digital and performance skills with fellow emerging artists in content creation workshops
- Learn to cultivate an engaging online brand and presence
- Learn strategies for recording audio and video, including techniques for lights, cameras, and microphones
- Learn and practice video post-production with full access to Adobe Premiere Pro
- Develop, record, and produce a small-scale music video project of their own design
- Project management including storyboard, recording, and post-production
- Consult with a professional videography team to plan each shot
- Record repertoire for their project with studio-quality audio
- Edit their own video project using Adobe Premiere Pro to produce a short video that they can submit to film festivals and use to promote themselves to opera companies in Canada and internationally
- Video projects will be featured in an upcoming DEAP Alumni Showcase
Time Breakdown (80 hours)
- 15 hours for post-production on central video project
- 12 hours of content creation and acting workshops
- 12 hours of master classes
- 12 hours of professional development workshops (includes technology, personal finance, grant writing, life-coaching)
- 9 hours of private voice lessons
- 8 hours of group discussion with faculty and industry professionals
- 4 hours professional audio and video recording
- 4 hours of professional guidance on Adobe Premiere Pro including tutorial and individual post-production help
- 1 hour consultation with videographer
Manitoba Opera is committed to equity and diversity, encouraging applicants from all backgrounds. There is no cost to submit an application.
All applications must be submitted online by Sunday, May 5, 2024.
Four Emerging Artists and one Independent Learner will participate in DEAP 2024.
Independent Learner
The Independent Learner is a BIPOC artist who joins the Digital Emerging Artists Program as a partial participant, auditing the program to enrich their early career through experience as a performer and creator.
The Independent Learner position is intended to fortify the skillset of an artist who is curious about careers in opera as they learn from DEAP core faculty, coaches, and guest artists, and engage with the Digital Emerging Artists in collaborative learning opportunities. Formal opera training is not a prerequisite for the Independent Learner position. The Independent Learner is not expected to complete a central video project, but will receive the same stipend as the Emerging Artists.
If you are interested in applying but need more time to prepare your application, please complete the short form below. You will be sent e-mail reminders about the application deadline.
Apply
Please prepare the following for your application:
Documents
- Artistic Resume
- Headshot
Videos
- All videos should be uploaded to YouTube as “unlisted” or “public”.
- Audition Videos (2)
- Provide links to 2 videos representative of your current vocal performance, recorded since January 1, 2023.
- Creative Statement Video
- Provide a link to a 2-to-3-minute video in which you:
- Introduce yourself to the faculty.
- Consider:
- Why are you interested in participating in DEAP?
- What do you think makes you stand out as an artist?
- What skills, interests, and perspectives can you contribute to new or collaborative projects?
- Consider:
- Introduce yourself to the faculty.
- Briefly explain a concept for an opera or art song music video project that you are interested in developing
- Consider:
- What repertoire will you record?
- What story will your project tell?
- What will your video look like?
- Who is the audience for your project?
- Why is this project important to you?
- Be specific – communicating a clear project a idea will help you present your strongest application.
- Consider:
- Provide a link to a 2-to-3-minute video in which you:
