Come closer to how opera gets made.
Opera can look very different from the outside than it does once you are in the room.
Behind every performance are singers, musicians, designers, technicians, stage managers, builders, dressers, directors, and countless decisions being made right up until an audience arrives.
Opera Connect was created to bring storytellers closer to that process. In its inaugural year, a small group of Edmonton creators, writers, photographers, culture enthusiasts, and community storytellers will be invited to experience select moments throughout the 2026/27 season, learn more about the work happening onstage and behind it, and share what catches their attention in their own voice.
There is no single right way into opera.
You do not need to be an expert.
You just need to be curious.
Who should apply?
Opera Connect may be a good fit if you already spend time noticing and sharing the people, places, ideas, and experiences that make Edmonton interesting.
You might be a social creator, writer, photographer, culture enthusiast, community storyteller, or someone whose work sits somewhere in between.
You do not need previous opera experience, formal arts training, or an audience that already follows arts content. You also do not need to know what an aria is before you arrive.
What matters more is that you have a point of view and an interest in sharing what you notice with your own audience.
Opera can lead into music, fashion, history, design, language, theatre, architecture, mythology, performance, and plenty more. We are interested in the perspective you already bring with you.
What participants receive
Opera Connect participants will receive access to select Edmonton Opera experiences throughout the season.
Depending on the production, that may include:
What we ask from you
Opera Connect is built around exchange. We give participants closer access to the work, and in return, we ask that you share something from the experience with your audience.
That does not mean documenting every moment or turning your feed into an Edmonton Opera advertisement. We want you to follow what genuinely interests you and share it in a way that feels natural to your own work.
Participants are asked to create at least one piece of content per Opera Connect event and tag Edmonton Opera when sharing.
After each event, we will also send a short follow-up survey. No detailed analytics report is required. We are interested in what worked, what you noticed, and how the program can become more useful over time.
Why we’re starting Opera Connect
Opera has been around for more than 400 years, which is part of what makes it fascinating. It can also make the art form feel distant if you have never had a reason to step inside.
Opera Connect is one way of opening that door a little wider by giving people a closer look at the artists, ideas, choices, and work that go into a production.
The scale of opera can be huge, but it is still made by people, right here in this city.
The inaugural Opera Connect cohort
The 2026/27 season is the first year of Opera Connect, and the inaugural cohort will be intentionally small.
That gives us room to make the experience more personal and gives participants a real chance to help shape how the program grows. Feedback from this first group will help us understand what kinds of access, resources, and support are most useful as Opera Connect develops in future seasons.