OPERA America has announced the inaugural participants of their new IDEA Opera Residencies (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) program.

Supported by the Katherine S. and Axel G. Rosin Fund of The Scherman Foundation, this initiative will allow NYC-based composers and librettists of color an opportunity to explore opera as an expressive medium.

The first resident artists are composers Laura Jobin-Acosta and Tamar-kali Brown, and librettist J. Mae Barizo. They will each receive a full-year residency as well as $22,500 in grants for career development as well as recording and promotional services.

“IDEA Opera Residencies open the doors to composers and librettists of color who have distinguished themselves in other disciplines and want to explore the potential of opera,” explained Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. “By encouraging their creative development, we will enrich the entire art form with new voices that reflect the diversity of our country.”