West Edge Opera has announced the 22 projects which have qualified for the first round of Aperture, the company’s online program that helps create new works of opera and musical theater.

From these works, three will be selected for a three-month residency in 2021, with the winning work receiving a $60,000 commission and a concert production in 2022.

Aperture subscribers can view these works in their stages of development over the next few months, as well as express their opinions on works and help decide which projects should be featured and considered for advancement. A full list of teams and their projects can be found on Aperture’s website.

“Aperture brings the power to choose what could be the next ‘Big American Opera’ to the people in the audience,” writes soprano Alexa Anderson, one of the program’s eight curators. “Involving such a wide circle of contributing opinions is sure to be a huge driving force for creative excellence, and is a wonderful, exciting way to bring people from all levels closer to this beloved medium.”