Call for Scores
SNAPSHOT: The Latest Developments In Opera
West Edge Opera (in Berkeley/Oakland, CA) is soliciting excerpts of unproduced works combining music and theater to present in SNAPSHOT - a series of performances presented to the public in a professional concert setting.
Collaborating with San Francisco-based Earplay (www.earplay.org) as the instrumental ensemble, SNAPSHOT is an opportunity for Composers and Librettists to put shorter works or excerpts of longer works on their feet with world class vocalists and instrumentalists. The performances are attended by the general public and are profiled and reviewed by high profile publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Classical Voice, KDFC, and KQED.
All participating composers and librettists will also be provided a feedback session with leaders in the new opera field. Previous panelists have included Khori Dastoor (Houston Grand Opera), Bill Gorjance (Peer Music Publishing), Kip Cranna (San Francisco Opera Dramaturg Emeritus), Joseph Marcheso (Opera San Jose Music Director), Elkhanah Pulitzer (Stage Director).
While preference will be given to composers and librettists with ties to the west coast, SNAPSHOT is open to composers and librettists beyond the west coast. Travel and lodging assistance is not guaranteed.
Call for Submissions Opens: August 1st, 2026
Call for Submissions Closes: September 11th, 2026
Selections will be announced by: October 23rd, 2026
Successful submissions will be asked to orchestrate for our ensemble of piano and up to 6 instruments.
We appreciate innovation and will consider the involvement of mediated sound.
The adjudication panel includes:
Earplay Conductor Mary Chun
West Edge Opera Music Director Jonathan Khuner
Artist and SNAPSHOT Co-Founder Brian M. Rosen
Artist and West Edge Opera Staff Kenneth Kellogg
Successful submissions will participate in an interview video to be shown during the program, and posted on our website. After the performance, composers and librettists will be provided with an audio recording. The participants can choose video excerpts which West Edge Opera will host and can be linked to.
The program will be during the weekend of February 27th and 28th, 2027
at First Church in Berkeley and at The Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco
Criteria:
Works must have not received a fully staged production.
Our priority is highlighting composers or librettists who have resided on the west coast (CA, OR, HI, or WA) for at least 4 years in the last 20.
Excerpts should be between 10 and 20 minutes long and use a maximum of 4 vocalists, best utilizing the two-week rehearsal period.
Excerpts that show dramatic interest are preferred; showing a development of character or situation are preferred to static or expository arias.
If there are multiple excerpts from the piece that you think would work, you may suggest up to TWO excerpts. If you are attaching the entire score, make it very clear which excerpts are to be considered.
It is strongly recommended for the composer and/or librettist to be present in the San Francisco Bay Area for the week of the performance to participate in rehearsals and related activities (we are unable to offer a travel stipend, but can help arrange home stays).
Performance-ready vocal scores must be completed by Dec 1, 2026.
Score and parts (orchestrated for SNAPSHOT ensemble) must be completed by Jan 15, 2027.
Applicants may be of any age or nationality.
Please note, this is not a workshop. Excerpts will be performed as they were submitted without opportunity for significant revisions or changes.
Past media coverage of Snapshot programs:
https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/classical/article/west-edge-opera-snapshot-21329497.php
https://www.sfcv.org/articles/review/potential-productions-previewed-west-edge-operas-snapshot
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/snapshot-west-edge-opera-review-17848614https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/with-a-new-outdoor-home-west-edge-opera-offers-a-live-performance-sampler
https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/west-edge-opera/west-edge-operas-snapshot-of-the-future
https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/in-an-operatic-sampler-taut-and-tender-ivonne-stands-tall
https://www.kdfc.com/2019/01/west-edge-operas-snapshot-sampler/https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/west-edge-opera/west-edge-opera-serves-a-tantalizing-sampler-of-promising-new-operashttps://www.kdfc.com/2018/02/snapshot-operas-progress/
http://www.sfchronicle.com/music/article/West-Edge-mounts-an-eclectic-operatic-showcase-10946862.php
For More Information Contact:
Jonathan Khuner at jkhuner@sonic.net
About Snapshot
In collaboration with San Francisco–based Earplay (www.earplay.org)/ SNAPSHOT provides composers and librettists with something essential—and increasingly rare: institutional support at the earliest, most vulnerable stage of creation.
SNAPSHOT gives artists the opportunity to workshop short operatic works or excerpts of larger projects with world-class vocalists and instrumentalists, bringing new ideas off the page and onto their feet. These performances are presented to the public and reviewed by leading arts voices including the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Classical Voice, KDFC, and KQED.
New operas don’t enter the canon overnight. They are built through experimentation, revision, and live performance. SNAPSHOT creates the space for that process—offering artists the time, resources, and professional environment needed to develop bold new work as it competes for a future on the operatic stage.
By investing in artists early, SNAPSHOT isn’t just presenting new music. It’s shaping the future of opera.
All participating composers and librettists will also be provided a feedback session with leaders in the new opera field. Previous panelists have included Khori Dastoor (Houston Grand Opera), Bill Gorjance (Peer Music Publishing), Kip Cranna (San Francisco Opera Dramaturg Emeritus), and Joseph Marcheso (Opera San Jose Music Director).