The American Opera Project (AOP) announced the streaming of “First Glimpse,” a video album of 20 songs composed during the first year of AOP’s 2019-2020 cycle of Composers & the Voice, a two-year, tuition-free fellowship for composers and librettists that provides experience writing for the voice and opera stage.

Originally conceived as a live performance scheduled for May 2020, “First Glimpse’s” initial installment released on October 23rd and is available on AOP’s website and Vimeo page www.aopopera.org/first-glimpse-2020. AOP will release new installments each Friday for six weeks, leading up to a December 4 watch party of all the videos with the creators and artists in attendance. The watch party will take place on the organization’s Vimeo page https://vimeo.com/aopopera.

Videos will be available for free for one week following the release. Viewers can purchase or rent videos once the free week expires. The fee schedules per video are $1 for 24-hour rental or $2 for purchase (unlimited viewing). The entire “First Glimpse” series with bonus footage is $15 for 24-hour rental and $20 for purchase (unlimited viewing). Full details on the release schedule and how to watch are available on AOP’s web page www.aopopera.org.

Composers Alaina Ferris, Matt Frey, Michael Lanci, Mary Prescott, Jessica Rudman and Tony Solitro, and librettists Amanda Hollander and Jonathan Douglass Turner, were chosen by AOP to spend a year creating new works in its bi-annual fellowship program Composers & the Voice.

“First Glimpse” will be performed by the Composers & the Voice Resident Ensemble of Singers: soprano Justine Aronson, soprano Jasmine Muhammad, mezzo-soprano Augusta Caso, tenor Timothy Stoddard, baritone Mario Diaz-Moresco, and bass-baritone Brandon Coleman. Each of the songs were composed specifically for the singers’ voices, after months of study and experimentation during the C&V program. Supporting on piano will be C&V Music Directors Mila Henry and Kelly Horsted, as well as guest artists Lisa Edwards and Spencer Myer.

For additional information related to the C & V program visit https://www.aopopera.org/composers-voice.