Tuag Opera | tycerdd

We’re calling to early-career music-creators and writers: join us in a paid development pathway to writing Welsh-language opera.

6 early-career music-creators will be paired with 6 early-career writers to explore and create a moment of opera together in the Welsh-language – with support and guidance from music director Iwan Teifion Davies, writer Gwyneth Glyn and Michael McCarthy of Music Theatre Wales.

The project is made possible by incredibly generous support from a range of funders, including Jerwood Foundation, Arts Council of Wales and PRS Foundation.

WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

★ New Welsh-language opera and music theatre should be thriving – but it isn’t...

★ Why not?

★ Where are the new composers and writers of new Welsh opera?

Tŷ Cerdd and Music Theatre Wales are joining forces to move forward the discussion and the artform. We’re collaborating on Tuag Opera, a creative pathway for artists to develop their skills.

WHAT'S THE PROGRAMME?

Tuag Opera is a paid pathway for 12 early-career artists (6 music-creators, 6 writers). The selected artists each receive £1000 for their participation – a combination of in-person workshops and online contact over a period of 5 months, working alongside vocalists and a pianist.

Alongside supporting artists to develop their skills, we’ll be asking:

what is new opera?
how can it be part of Wales today?
can working in Welsh be part of moving the artform forward and creating a living tradition in Wales?

If you’re applying, you must be available for the following dates:

Wednesday 9 October, 1930, Sherman Theatre (Cardiff) – to attend Bwystfilod Aflan (opera by Conor Mitchell & Jac Ifan Moore; Music Theatre Wales co-production with Aberystwyth Arts Centre)
Thursday 10 October, 1000-1700, Cardiff (venue tbc)
Saturday 9 November, 1000-1700, Nyth, Bangor
Saturday 18 January, 1000-1700, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Sunday 2 March, 1030-1730, Tŷ Cerdd Studio, WMC, Cardiff
Saturday 12 April, 1000-1700, Tŷ Cerdd Studio, WMC, Cardiff (final sharing/recording)

PARTICIPANTS

Music creators

Musical genre We want to be as open as possible to music-creators from a range of genres. If you feel passionate about shaping new opera in the Welsh language, apply!

Early-career Generally speaking this means that eligible applicants will have had their work performed, produced, recorded or broadcast in a professional context on at least one occasion. NB This pathway can't support anyone who's currently studying for an undergraduate or post-graduate qualification,

Welsh music-creators If you’re creating original music and you’ve been based in Wales for at least a year, or you were born in Wales, you’re eligible. Applications are welcomed from music-creators from across Wales and expenses will be covered for artists' travel (within Wales).

Diversity We are keen to receive applications from individuals who are under-represented / have faced neglect or exclusion from the arts community; we particularly welcome applications from disabled people, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people, LGBTQ+ people, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Welsh language While the workshop elements will be run primarily in Welsh, we encourage learners to apply, and we will ensure there is time and space for bilingual discussion through the process. If in doubt get in touch.

Writers

Genre We want to be as open as possible to writers from a range of genres. We’d love to hear from poets, playwrights, librettists, storytellers, songwriters, rappers… If you feel passionate about shaping new opera in the Welsh language, apply!

Early-career Generally speaking this means that eligible applicants will have had their work published in a professional context on at least one occasion. NB This pathway can't support anyone who's currently studying for an undergraduate or post-graduate qualification.

Welsh writers If you’re a writer and you’ve been based in Wales for at least a year, or you were born in Wales, you’re eligible. Applications are welcomed from writers from across Wales and expenses will be covered for artists' travel (within Wales).

Welsh language The writers taking part in the pathway will need to be proficient and comfortable writing in the Welsh language. If in doubt get in touch.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, BUT YOU HAVE SOME QUESTIONS...

We can chat with you directly by phone or Zoom. Email us to arrange a call. We want to remove as many barriers as we can – so if there’s anything you’d like to talk to us about, let us know and we will try to help to find a solution.

TO APPLY...

Upload the following information to our PORTAL:

1. Personal details: name, email address, mobile number, address, confirmation that you are over 18

2. Your practice: Tell us about your practice, and what you’ve been most proud of. (Max 200 words)

3. Why would you like to be part of this pathway? Why would you like to be part of this pathway? How do you think this pathway will benefit your practice? Tell us how it builds on your previous experience and what you hope might change and develop through taking part? What about creating Welsh-language opera is inspiring or important to you? Tell us about your Welsh-language journey as part of your answer (Max 750 words)

4. Do you have any access requirements? Tell us if there is any support or any conditions you need to enable you to participate in the pathway.

5. Examples of your work: please attach 2 links or attachments to your music (please send links rather than sound or video files; if you need help creating links, let us know.)

Video and audio applications are also welcomed. Record your answers to questions 2, 3 & 4 above (up to 8 minutes’ duration), and upload a link to your recording, adding the information requested in questions 1 & 5 to the upload form. If you need help creating a link to your video, or uploading your information, email us for help.

TIMELINE & PROCESS

Deadline for applications: 1200 midday on Friday 19 July
The panel (Michael McCarthy, Iwan Teifion Davies, Gwyneth Glyn, and Deborah Keyser,
Director of Tŷ Cerdd) will meet w/b 29 July.
We’ll let you know the outcome w/b 5 August

Welsh conductor Iwan Teifion Davies is Artistic Director of Aberystwyth Musicfest, one of Wales's leading music festivals. At the Salzburger Landestheater he conducted repertoire ranging from Rossini to Philip Glass. For the Buxton International Festival, where he is Head of Music, he has conducted Donizetti, Bizet and Ivor Novello. With English Touring Opera, he conducted La Bohème and The Golden Cockerel.

A champion of Welsh music, Iwan has commissioned and performed new works from numerous composers. He conducted both of Gareth Glyn's operas, Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd and Un Nos Ola Leuad, the latter with the orchestra of Welsh National Opera.

Gwyneth Glyn is a poet, writer and songwriter who has written extensively for theatre and television for over twenty years. She worked with Music Theatre Wales to create a Welsh production of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale and she wrote the libretto for Y Tŵr - an adaptation of Gwenlyn Parry's play, which was a coproduction between Music Theatre Wales and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru in 2017.

Gwyneth has been Wales's Children's Poet Laureate, her poetry has appeared in many anthologies and she is part of the team of writers for Pobol y Cwm. She has extensive experience of mentoring writers, and looks forward to this exciting venture.

Music Theatre Wales (MTW) exists to breathe new life into opera, presenting it as storytelling in music and seeking to revitalise opera as a universally accessible and expressive activity.

The company nurtures artists who will create the opera of the future and present opera in imaginative ways that will help change the deeply entrenched preconceptions of what opera is and can be. They are asking: What is Opera? Who is making it? and Who is it for?

Tŷ Cerdd is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner