Winners Announcement!

We are delighted to announce the winner of our inaugural New Works Competition. After much deliberation, our esteemed jury have awarded the prize to:

Evan Henry (Composer) and John Klaess (Librettist) for “Algorithms”

Algorithms impressed the jury with a pertinent story that was told with humour and yet with a deep sadness. Musically, the works submitted contained a strong sense of melodic line, dance-like rhythms and Jazz-inspired harmonies.

The piece was designed to be based on a topic relevant to society today. From the submission: “We put an astonishing amount of faith in algorithms. Everything from our music suggestions to whether or not we qualify for a mortgage is subject to automated procedures. Outcomes are determined by inscrutable and proprietary lines of code, and there are few areas of life that aren’t in some way impacted by algorithm-driven software. This opera asks a simple question: What if our mortal fate was determined by the vagaries of a sorting algorithm?”

Martyn Brabbins thought, “It is a massively relevant topic and the music is handled with such sophistication and quirky humour”. Sir David Pountney agreed suggesting that the music “is quite brilliant…very imaginative, quirky and dramatic”. Claire Rutter also described the piece as “lyrical and accessible” and said the piece has “a simple, amusing approach to the story and it doesn’t pull you into despair as it unfolds!”

Having submitted excerpts to the jury, the piece will now be written to completion and will be performed live and filmed for online viewing by Random Opera as part of their 2022 season.


In collaboration with Creative Juices Opera

The opera world will always have its favourite and most cherished pieces but there is always room for new innovations that keep opera evolving and reflective of the society that it seeks to engage. Random Opera is passionate about inspiring creative talent and hopes to deliver new and exciting works to the public.

With these goals in mind, Random Opera is proud to present the first New Works Competition, in collaboration with Creative Juices, that will see an upcoming composer have their work performed live on stage, recorded for online viewing, and win a £1000 cash prize.

The brief:

A short opera in English for 3-6 voices and piano, of between 15-20 minutes in duration.

Theme:

We want the opera to tell a story that resonates with society today – but beyond that you are free to find your inspiration. 

The Prize

A cash prize of £1,000, paid on completion of the composition.

The composition will be performed by Random Opera Company, and also recorded for online viewing.

The Judges:

Sir David Pountney has forged a career spanning over 45 years and has a wealth of experience as a director of opera and as the artistic director of many leading opera houses, including the Welsh National Opera from 2011-2019. His productions have been pioneering and have earned him a great number of honours and accolades across the world. As part of a shared vision to keep developing new works and establish best practices for delivering a great creative idea to the stage, Creative Juices was formed.
Martyn Brabbins is a British conductor and is Music Director of the English National Opera. He is an inspirational force on the British music scene and has had a hugely varied and dynamic career for many years working at La Scala, the Bayerische Staatsoper and Oper Frankfurt, as well as being a guest conductor for many of the top international orchestras. He is particularly known for his advocacy of British composers and has conducted hundreds of world premieres all over the globe.
Claire Rutter is regarded as one of the finest sopranos in the world. She has performed leading roles in houses including English National Opera, Sydney Opera House and Santa Fe Opera. She has performed a varied repertoire in her long and successful career, but is most renowned for her portrayals of the bel canto and romantic heroines such as Bellini’s Norma, Verdi’s Violetta and Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. She is known to be a real vocal artist displaying a voice with a wide and varied palate of colours that give her interpretations true dramatic intensity.