The Music Critics Association of North America has announced that “10 Days in a Madhouse” was named the Best New Opera for 2024.

The opera was composed by Rene Orth and features a libretto by Hannah Moscovitch. The work was commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera and was world premiered in 2023 as part of Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23. Upon its release, The New York Times said “opera needs works like ’10 Days,’ which treats the medium with affection and respect while also chafing at its tropes throughout history.” Opera News added, “Orth orchestrates superbly… This gripping new opera deserves wide circulation.”

“I am so grateful for the MCANA jury to recognize 10 Days in a Madhouse with such a prestigious honor. Hannah and I set out to write something surprisingly rare in the operatic tradition—a work that didn’t focus on women suffering trauma and death, but rather strength and perseverance against the continued societal biases working against us,” said Orth in reaction to the win. “I’m thrilled that the piece has resonated with so many people. An especially huge thank you to director Joanna Settle, conductor Daniela Candillari, sound designer Rob Kaplowitz, Opera Philadelphia’s Director of New Works Sarah Williams, and the insanely talented cast, chorus, and orchestra—all for their full commitment to our risk-taking and storytelling in bringing this piece to life.”

“Drawing from reporter Nelly Bly’s exposé of conditions at the insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island (now Roosevelt Island), this searing chamber opera explores how insanity has been used as an operatic trope and as a way to control non-compliant women,” said an official statement by the Music Critics Association of North America. “The ingenious libretto structures the narrative in reverse: it opens with Bly’s 10th day in the asylum, where she went undercover, and over 90 intense minutes reassembles the disordered elements of her institution-induced breakdown into a recognizable story. Text fragments, choral hazes, and electronics are among the techniques used to unmoor the narrative from rationality; yet the characters remain strong and musically distinctive throughout. Taut, original, and affecting, 10 Days in a Madhouse works on multiple levels – theatrical, thematic, and human.”

The Awards Committee included Heidi Waleson, Arthur Kaptainis, John Rockwell, George Loomis, and Alex Ross.

The opera will be honored on July 26 at the Music Critics Association of North America’s annual meeting at Tanglewood.

Past winners of the award include “R.U.R. A Torrent of Light,” “Breaking the Waves,” “The Wake World,” “p r i s m,” and “Blue.”