Shorts is all about the future of opera. While opera remains a captivating experience for those who have already discovered it, there is no question that audiences are declining. And while many of the works that are most cherished by opera lovers hark back to the past, all companies that produce opera have a responsibility to look to the future.
Shorts
Buxton International Festival are leading the opera sector with a brand new talent development programme, Shorts.
Shorts combines the conventional process of commissioning an opera with a talent development programme. We have selected a total of seven writers and composers to produce four short operas of twenty minutes between them.
At the heart of this mission is our desire to bring opera to new audiences. Alongside this, we are also excited to bring fresh creative forces in the shape of composers and writers who may not have been exposed to a great deal of opera, but come with their own diverse range of styles in sources of inspiration.
The four new pieces will world-premiere at Buxton International Festival in July 2025.
Jasper Dommett
Jasper is a current PdD composer and 2023 Mendelssohn Scholar. Their passion lies in creating works around queer history, encouraging a space for these stories to be heard. Their Ivor nominated work Disco! Disco! Good! Good? written for the Riot Ensemble, pays tribute to the queer ballroom culture that emerged during the disco era.
Martin Green
Martin is a multi-award-winning musician and Ivor Novello winning composer. As a member of Lau he has won four BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards for Best Group. Raised in a family of folk musicians, he has gone on to make multi-media work that has toured across the globe. Currently under commission with National Theatre of Scotland.
Thandanani Gumede
Thandanani (Thanda) is a vocalist and a multi-disciplinary artist who draws inspiration from his dual Zulu and Xhosa heritage amalgamated with Jazz, Neo-Soul, Gospel and other contemporary styles. His notable appearances include his performance at the first ever Nelson Mandela Day, officiated by the UN; at Buckingham Palace for the Royal Family; at the 150th BBC Proms; and as part of Opera North’s BAME Resonance residency.
Zodwa Nyoni
Zodwa is a Zimbabwean-born playwright, screenwriter and director. Her plays/films have been produced and screened in Europe, Africa and North America. She’s a writer on Netflix’s spin-off series, CASTLEVANIA: NOCTURNE and is currently a Lecturer in Scriptwriting at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Josh Overton
Josh Overton is a Playwright and Theatre-maker whose passion for language and lyricism can be found at the heart of all his work. Collaborating as a playwright with theatres and companies up and down the UK and as a poet with the Loud Poets of Edinburgh. Winner of the Sunday Times Playwrighting Award 2015, Josh was recently accepted onto the Writers Guild of Great Britain New Commission Scheme.
Carmel Smickersgill
Carmel is a composer and performer based in Manchester. After studying at the RNCM with Gary Carpenter, she has had a varied freelance career in music: working in theatre, writing for concert halls and touring with bands. She was a 2020 Ivor Novello Nominee, recipient of the Rushworth Composition prize (Liverpool Philharmonic) and releases music with PRAH recordings.