The New York Opera Fest will feature a launch party on May 1, led by the New York Opera Alliance.

Every year, the event features a special guest who is honored. This year’s honoree will be music critic, Anne Midgette, “for her support and championship of independent opera companies and the art form as a whole.”

“I’m very honored to have been selected to receive this award. I have long maintained that independent opera is the main driving force for creativity in this field. The member companies of the New York Opera Alliance have accompanied me and enriched my musical experience throughout my career as a critic while proving that point over and over again,” Midgette stated per a press release.

The event will also feature live performances from many of this year’s participants at the festival. Among them will be Experiments in Opera, Regina Opera Company, the Cantanti Project and the team behind “Tabula Rasa,” ARE Opera, Operamission, Bronx Opera, and Encompass New Opera Theatre.