Now in its fourth season, the 96-Hour Opera Festival celebrates emerging creative talents from under-represented communities and offers a path into the art of opera.
In June 2025, after two years in development, we proudly present Steele Roots, the second world premiere chamber opera emerging from this program. Steele Roots was the 2023 competition winner by composer Dave Ragland and librettist Selda Sahin.
Selected through a rigorous application and review process for participation in the 2025 program, the creative teams of composers and librettists are mentored through the creative process to write ten-minute operas. Bringing their completed works to Atlanta, the creative teams rehearse their productions for 96 hours with guidance from specialists in the field.
Open to the public, the 96-Hour Opera Competition & Showcase presents five world-premiere mini-operas to an audience and a judging panel in an exciting race for the Antinori Foundation Grand Prize & Atlanta Opera Commission. The Atlanta Opera welc
