(Photo credits: Niebuhr, Steiner, Marshall Light Studio, © Chuck Thomas 2012)

The National Opera Association’s 69th annual national conference is scheduled for Jan. 3-6, 2024 at in Tempe, Arizona.

The conference kicks off with a performance of “Sanctuary and Storm” by Tawnie Olson and Roberta Barker, the winner of the 2023 Chamber Opera Competition. Jake Heggie will give the Keynote Address, followed by a panel of composers, librettists, and opera creators to discuss how new operas impact current audiences and tell our story to future generations.

The National Opera Association and OPERA America’s co-hosted series “Voice and Opera Curricula: Training for Sustainable Careers” will continue the discussion begun with the Sept. 14 webinar. There will be four days of breakout sessions exploring the tools and topics relevant to the professional opera educator, including a pre-conference workshop intensive on Intimacy Direction, as well as the New Works Expo.

Librettist Mark Campbell will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing banquet. Composer Adolphus Hailstork and soprano and educator Hilda Harris will be given the “Lift Every Voice” Legacy Awards.