Leeds Opera Festival has announced “Opera Rave,” a new experiment led by Guest Artistic Director Emma Hill.

“Opera Rave” will feature the joint efforts of Hill as well as singers Milana Sarukhanyan and Kanchana Jaishankar as they experiment with the score and libretto of “Carmen” as a jumping-off point. They will be joined by music producer Owly Beats. This phase will take place between August 27-31 before the work-in-progress will be shared at the Howard Assembly Room on August 31, 2024.

“Opera Rave is a reimagining of the opera-going experience,” Hill, whose notable work includes “ChipShoptheMusical,” “Baby Girl,” “After Words,” and “The Change,” said in an official press release. “We’re taking elements of operatic singing and performance and attempting to blend them with beats-infused electronic music. We hope to create something that feels like an opera and a rave simultaneously.

“If I can create a project where everyone contributes their art form and our audience members feel they have a new and exciting artistic experience, then the project will be a success,” concludes Hill. “Artistic experiments can go as wrong as they can go right, but everyone I’ve spoken to about Opera Rave has wanted to find out more about it. I’m grateful to Leeds Opera Festival for giving us this rare opportunity and platform to experiment and I’m excited to share our work with the people of Leeds.”