Opera North has made a final call for music creators of colour to apply for its for its next Resonance residency programme.
Resonance was launched in 2017 to offer funding, space, time and technical support to professional musicians and composers in any genre, as long as they are based in the North of England or Midlands, as part of PRS Foundation’s nationwide Talent Development Partnership, supported by PPL.
Resonance alumni have gone on to create major commissions for Opera North. Music director on the first Resonance residency, Jasdeep Singh Degun, composed a sitar concerto, Arya, for the Orchestra of Opera North; was composer and co-music director on the company’s ground-breaking mainstage opera Orpheus, and is currently artist in residence. Orpheus in the Record Shop, written and performed by writer, theatre-maker, beatboxer and 2019 Resonance artist Testament, was filmed for BBC Four during lockdown, and returned to the Leeds Playhouse stage to standing ovations in 2022.
In 2023-24, six successful lead artists will spend a week at Opera North’s Leeds HQ, developing new ideas, collaborating with performers from other disciplines and taking their work in new directions.
Each successful applicant will receive up to a week of free rehearsal space in central Leeds between October and next April, up to £4,000 to cover fees for those involved and other costs, and support and advice from technicians, producers and other specialists. There are also options for a work in progress performance and a short film to document the project.
To apply, artists should complete the short form on the Opera North website here by 10am on August 18. To qualify for consideration, the artist must be a professional composer, musician or music-maker of colour, aged 18 or over and living in the north of England or Midlands.
Opera North is keen to attract the widest possible range of talented artists for the scheme. The entry form is available in alternative formats, including Braille, hard copy and audio, and submissions can be accepted by audio or video. Discuss additional needs by email here,
“When I think about my experience of being part of Resonance, terms such as ‘life-changing’ or ‘life- affirming’ are what come to mind”, said spring 2023 Resonance graduate, singer-songwriter and storyteller Marco Woolf. “Which all sounds very dramatic, but that’s honestly how it feels”.