BETH MORRISON
The Indie Opera Impresario
Beth Morrison’s musical trajectory could have gone differently. Starting voice lessons at the age of 10, she fell in love with classical music at Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute and went on to major in vocal performance. But Beth discovered that as much as she loved classical theater, she wasn’t born to be on stage. Instead, she found her calling behind the scenes, as a producer of and protagonist for “indie” opera. “I was spending a lot of time going to experimental theater, feeling really excited by an avant-garde aesthetic,” she told Musical America. That epiphany led her to found Beth Morrison Projects (BMP), which has commissioned, developed and produced more than 50 new works that push the boundaries of traditional opera. She also co-founded, with HERE Arts Center, the PROTOTYPE Festival, which champions living composers, especially women and artists of color.
Projects
Since Beth Morrison founded BMP in 2006, she and her enterprise have become synonymous with making opera relevant to 21st-century audiences. This season is no different: Du Yun’s In Our Daughter’s Eyes is a one-man opera that tells the story of a future father’s struggles through the course of pregnancy. TRADE / Mary Motorhead is a double feature by composer Emma O’Halloran, who was the winner of BMP’s inaugural NEXT GEN, a showcase for emerging talent. Both premiered during the 10th annual Prototype Festival. The season kicked off with Song Cycle, produced with Harlem Stage and featuring the voices of three Black female and non-binary performers.
