The Music Academy of the West announced Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) will be in residence in Santa Barbara from June 28 to July 25, 2021.

Partnering with BMP, a company known as one of the most innovative in the industry advances the Academy’s commitment to growing young artists at a time when imaginative thinking is critical to long-term success.

Music Academy President and CEO Scott Reed praised BMP’s leadership in music and theatrical innovation, stating, “Beth Morrison Projects is a true pioneer of thought leadership in music and the arts. In today’s cultural landscape, young musicians need to be entrepreneurial and adventurous to succeed. There are no better role models for them than Beth Morrison and her team, who’ve forged transformative careers by supporting the development and production of meaningful new art that’s relevant to artists and audiences today.”

BMP’s Executive Director Jecca Barry, Director of Production Brian Freeland, and Creative Producer Beth Morrison will lead the four-week residency, taking fellows on a deep dive through two different productions to create a double-bill featuring David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s chamber version of “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera” alongside Pulitzer Prize laureate Ellen Reid’s 2014 “Odysseus Cycle.”

“21c Liederabend, Op. MAW,” the company’s cutting-edge multimedia re-imagining of the traditional art song recital will be on the program, as well.

“A major part of BMP’s core values is to nurture the next generation of artists and producers. This new partnership fits squarely into that mission, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to meet the students and be a part of their experience with the Academy. Music Academy of the West is future-focused, and that aligns perfectly with our worldview at BMP as well,” Morrison stated in the press release.

Barry and Morrison will also serve as faculty artists of the Academy’s Innovation Institute, assisting the Academy’s newly installed Vice President of Innovation and Program Development Casey Molino Dunn in the design of the annual Innovation Residential curriculum. The Innovation Residential, scheduled for spring 2021, supports alumni entrepreneurship and related activities at the summer festival and school.