“Opera is medium in which art forms collide and transform one another”
The Impossible Art: Adventures of Opera – M. Aucoin
WHAT IS MUSICVILLE?
Musicville is a project commissioned by the European Union that aims to popularise the classical European musical form of Opera into a new, innovative, cross-sectorial, interdisciplinary audio-visual work that draws inspiration from environmental awareness, nature and local crafts and traditions.
One of the backbones of Musicville is Green European Opera. It is the end product of the research and international collaboration of experts, artists, musicians and composers. Its name already suggests that the theme is closely related to ecology.
It strives to answer the questions:
How can resources and knowledge from the field of art and sustainability be combined?
How can contemporary cultural production be presented in rural areas? How can artists be helped to create new business opportunities while protecting the environment?
It provides a framework for connecting an international group of artists of different disciplines (music, theatre, architecture, visual arts, design, performance…) to work together with the local expert communities (agriculture, arts & crafts), environmental professionals, and cultural, and scientific experts.
WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND THE PROJECT?
The idea behind the project is to improve the resilience and well-being of artists by learning new skills in a practical and peer-to-peer approach, enabling artists to collaborate with young and experienced professionals from a variety of artistic and non-artistic backgrounds to create new and unexpected venues for contemporary music production and presentation.
WHO CAN APPLY?
We are looking for 15 creative professionals or aspiring artists
who are active in the fields of:
- → architecture, set design
- → classical, experimental, electronic music
- → performing arts, circus, theater, dance, acting
- → screenwriting, direction, dramaturgy
- → costume design, fashion design, textile
- → multimedia, video, installation
- → painting, sculpting, graphic design
* Practices with an environmental focus are encouraged. In this sense, also natural science practitioners with artistic inclinations are invited to apply. Artists and creative professionals that are residents of the countries Austria, Slovenia and Croatia are eligible to apply. All artist participants must be over 18. Travel logistics and costs will be covered by the project organisation. Selected participants will get a €500 stipend at the end of the project.
WHAT DOES THE PROJECT ENTAIL?
1. STUDY VISITS | SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2023
Selected participants will participate in the 3-day study visits to 3 countries (Slovenia, Austria, Croatia). In addition, mentors and guest mentors will participate in the visits. The study visits will thematically follow the concept of the project, focusing on land art, site-specific installations, research approaches and interdisciplinarity. Their main objective is to determine the sites of artistic research and final performances. Applicants will have to confirm their availability for the visits in September and October 2023.
2. ONLINE WORK | NOVEMBER 2023–JUNE 2024
Considering the international aspect of the project, participants will work togeth-er with their mentors in a series of online lectures, workshops and meetings, in order to develop the concept for the final production. The work is accordingly divided into group and one-on-one sessions. The introduction lecture will be held by the producer of the Operomanija project and New Opera Action festival Ana Ablamonova on 30th of May 2023 at 18:00 GMT+1.
3. ART RESIDENCIES AND FINAL PRESENTATIONS | AUGUST–OCTOBER 2024
Musicville residency program brings participants and their mentors together in three rural locations in Slovenia, Austria and Croatia. Lasting up to 10 days per location depending on the specific tasks, they serve as an exchange of ideas, experiences and artistic expressions of the participants, merging them into a coherent whole. The residency program culminates in the final performance of one act of the opera in each country. Applicants will have to confirm their availability for the residencies in September and October 2024. Exact timing of the work on site will be confirmed closer to the date and will try to respect the participant’s schedule as much as possible.
The call is open until 15th of June 2023.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT HERE
info@musicville.org
facebook.com/musicville
instagram.com/@musicville