Be Part of Canada’s Premier Opera Creation Lab!
Tapestry Opera’s Composer-Librettist Laboratory (LIBLAB) is Canada’s flagship opera creation intensive. The LIBLAB is designed to bring writers and composers together in an intensive that supports collaboration and experimentation.
Since its inception in 1995, LIBLAB has served as a dynamic space where composers, librettists, and interpreters of new works meet, seed ideas, and explore the collaborative process. Fondly referred to as opera speed-dating, the LIBLAB offers artists the chance to create with multiple collaborators in a short period. Participants can experiment and learn about opera creation, work with some of Canada’s premiere interpreters of new works, and find collaborators with whom they have the best chemistry!
Through LIBLAB, Tapestry Opera offers creators a supportive and creative space to form lasting partnerships and plant the seeds for future operatic works.
Applications for LIBLAB are closed!
Deadline: February 2nd, 2025
Program Details
- Dates: July 15 – 25, 2025
- Location: 877 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON
Tapestry Opera’s new home for the performing arts in the heart of Toronto! - Format: Full-time, in-person, 10-day intensive workshops and collaborative sessions complete with mentorship from experienced facilitators. Each composer-librettist collaboration is over 2-3 days and includes the creation of a mini libretto and mini score, performed by singers and pianists on the day of completion.
- Schedule: This is a creation intensive, and while the formal schedule will be mostly 10 am – 5 pm, creators frequently use evenings for writing and composing.
- Creator Honorarium: This year, LIBLAB composers and librettists will be paid a $2000 honorarium to offset the cost of life outside of LIBLAB so they can fully immerse themselves in the creative process.
The LIBLAB is open to creators working in English and French and intending to create in English or French. The facilitation will be primarily in English. Tapestry often balances experienced participants with emerging artist participants to ensure a range of styles and approaches, and there is no age threshold for who can apply. Some existing work in the opera, art song, or music theatre sphere is recommended for emerging artists or artists new to opera.
The team supporting LIBLAB participants will include four experienced new works singers, SATB, two experienced new works pianists, and two expert facilitators from the theatre and music world
Why Join LIBLAB?
- Network with Leading Artists: Connect with talented composers and librettists from the performing arts sector.
- Develop New Works: Create seed ideas to be pitched for full commissions. Many successful Canadian operas and/or creative teams began in LIBLAB. Fun Fact: Over 90% of Tapestry Opera’s world premiere new operas result from collaborator connections made and the seeds planted during LIBLAB!
- See Your Creations Come to Life at Hyperspeed (aka speed failure): Experience the thrill of hearing your and others’ 48-hour-old works interpreted by premiere artists. Watch as new creations succeed or fail as they are brought to life by passionate performers!
- Opportunity for a Staged Presentation: A selection of opera shorts developed during LIBLAB will be polished, staged and presented to a live audience as Tapestry Briefs (4 performances, October 2025).
- Lunch is on us! From experience, we know that some of the best ideas come when creatives have a chance to break bread together. So, Tapestry Opera provides lunch throughout the 10-day intensive, along with coffee, tea, and snacks to start each day, helping to keep the creators fuelled and focused.
LIBLAB Alumni News
Tapestry Opera commissions by LIBLAB alumni have won the Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera the last two years!
The award recognizes musical and theatrical excellence and is given annually to an operatic world premiere presented in North America the previous calendar year.
2024 – Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera, composer RENE ORTH and librettist HANNAH MOSCOVITCH’s 10 Days in a Madhouse had its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia as part of Festival O23 in September 2023 at the Wilma Theater.
2023 – Produced in collaboration with OCAD University and developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund, composer NICOLE LIZÉE and librettist NICOLAS BILLON’s R.U.R. A Torrent of Light also took home 6 Dora Mavor Moore Awards in 2022 including Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Opera.
Learn more here: https://tapestryopera.com/award-winning-commission-10-days-in-a-madhouse/
LIBLAB Alumni
2022
Nathalie Boisvert
Matthew Jocelyn
Christine Lee
Maria Reva
Ivan Barbotin
Romain Camiolo
Joseph Glaser
Laurence Jobidon
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2018
Kanika Ambrose
Colleen Murphy
Lila Palmer
Daniel Solon
Ian Cusson
August Murphy-King
Rene Orth
Benton Roark
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2016
Marcia Johnson
Jessica Murphy Moo
Bobby Theodore
Phoebe Tsang
Iman Habibi
Afarin Mansouri
Norbert Palej
Kit Vaughan Soden
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2010
Maja Ardal
David Brock
Charles Hayter
Michael Pollard
Iman Habibi
Anna Hostman
Norbert Palej
Gareth Williams
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2009
Marjorie Chan
Anna Chatterton
Bernard MacLaverty
John Harris
Stephen Taylor
Gareth Williams
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
2008
David Brock
Spy Denomme-Welsh
Ken Gass
Andrew Moodie
Scott Brubacher
Justine Chen
Teresa Conners
Jack Perla
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2007
Taylor Graham
Marcia Johnson
Alicia Payne
Sandy Pool
Gabriel Ian Gould
Glenn James
William Rowson
Stephen Taylor
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2006
Leanna Brodie
Dave Carley
Lisa Codrington
Krista Dalby
Craig Galbraith
Kevin Morse
David Ogborn
Anthony Young
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2005
Jill Battson
Dave Deveau
Colleen Murphy
Betty Jane Wylie
Rose Bolton
Darren Fung
Aaron Gervais
Andrew Staniland
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2004
Anna Chatterton
Joseph Maviglia
Steve Mayoff
Douglas Rodger
Dougals Rodger
Benjamin Bolden
Kong Kie Ngo
Richard Payne
David Scott
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2003
Shirley Barrie
Camyar Chai
Marjorie Chan
Alexis Diamond
Wende Bartley
Nicolas Gilbert
Abigail Richardson
Abigail Richarson
James Rolfe
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2002
Kico Gonzalez-Risso
Natalie Meisner
Julie Salverson
Edward Thomas-Herrara
Sean Ferguson
Koji Nakano
Juliet Palmer
Chiyoko Szlavnics
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2001
Leah Davidson
Alex Poch-Goldin
Jovanni Sy
Jonathon Wilson
Andrew Ager
Omar Daniel
Melissa Hui
Erik Ross
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
2000
Peter Aldgate
Peter Austin
Vincent deTourdonnet
Michael O’Brien
Stephen Eddins
Micheline Roi
Jeffrey Ryan
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
1999
Alexis Bernier
Anna Camara
Michael MacLennan
Michael O’Brien
Alexandra Diebel
Randall Eng
Kenneth Hesketh
Alice Ho
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
1997
Mark Brownell
Joanne Gerber
Paula Wing
Paul Yee
Ka Nin Chan
Puhm Juhan
Marajan Mozetich
Kelly-Marie Murphy
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer
1995
Don Hannah
Dan Redican
Jason Sherman
Milton Barnes
Alexina Louie
Linda Smith
Wes Wragget
Librettist
Librettist
Librettist
Composer
Composer
Composer
Composer