ABOUT AMERICAN LYRIC THEATER (ALT)
Great Operas Don’t Just Happen. American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Edelson to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers and librettists, providing an incubator for their collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon. Many opera companies commission and perform new works; but ALT is the only company in the United States that offers extensive, full-time mentorship for emerging operatic writers. While the traditional company model focuses on producing a season, ALT’s focus is on serving the needs of composers and librettists, developing new works, and collaborating with larger producing companies to help usher those works into the repertoire.
In 2012, ALT was the first company dedicated to artist mentorship rather than operatic production to be recognized by OPERA America as a Professional Company Member – a testament to ALT’s service to the field. In 2020, ALT reinforced its commitment to racial justice and equity through the creation of the Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI), the goal of which is to increase participation in the CLDP by BIPOC artists; and ultimately, increase BIPOC artists’ contributions to the national canon of new operas. Through discussions catalyzed by the OWDARI, ALT has transitioned to a shared leadership model through which ALT’s founder Lawrence Edelson now shares artistic and curatorial responsibilities with the company’s recently appointed Associate Artistic Director, conductor Kelly Kuo. Working together with ALT’s board of directors and artistic staff, Lawrence and Kelly are leading the company’s efforts to create more equitable opportunities for BIPOC artists through all of the company’s programs.
ALT is home to the Composer Librettist Development Program, the only full-time, multi-year program in the country for emerging opera composers, librettists, and dramaturgs, with a highly credentialed faculty led by Mark Adamo, Anthony Davis, Cori Ellison, Lawrence Edelson, Kelly Kuo, and Adriana Zabala, and a proven track record for developing the skills of gifted artists, incubating successful operas, and fostering lasting collaborations. Prominent alumni of the CLDP include composers Christopher Cerrone, Kamala Sankaram, and Jeremy Howard Beck; and librettists Royce Vavrek, Stephanie Fleischmann and Deborah Brevoort. Audiences around the country are enjoying operas developed through the CLDP and by CLDP alumni at a wide variety of venues, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Saratoga, Utah Opera, The PROTOTYPE Festival, and many more.
For more information about American Lyric Theater, please visit www.altnyc.org.
