Opera Bursary Award in Ireland

Objectives

• The award emphasises the value and benefit to an artist’s development derived from an in-depth process of engagement with their artistic practice at any stage of their professional career. The award therefore provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and engage with their artistic practice by enabling them to do one or more of the following:
  • Spend focused time substantively developing their artistic practice
  • Spend time researching/thinking about/developing a new idea for future dissemination
  • Spend time developing their technical skills in a particular area
  • Spend time developing/learning new skills related to their practice or area of interest
  • Spend time working with a mentor or collaborator(s) to develop an idea or to assist in developing or upskilling within a particular area of the applicant’s practice or an area related to the applicant’s practice
  • Spend time developing an idea in collaboration with a potential production partner(s)
  • Undertake a short period of training by way of master classes or other professional training opportunities (whether national or international, online or in person)
• Potential proposals could be those that:
  • Enable a composer, librettist conductor or performer working in any opera genre to buy time for the development of their artistic practice
  • Facilitate the development or completion of a specific body of artistic work
  • Enable artists to invest time in focused advanced study, with appropriate mentoring, of a particular repertoire area or other area of practice resulting in substantive artistic development.

Strategic Priorities

• The Arts Council has identified the following as strategic priorities for support through this award:
  • Professional development of emerging Irish composers, librettists, conductors and opera directors of proven promise and diverse backgrounds
  • Professional artists working on the creation or performance of new Irish opera, or on performing editions of historic Irish opera not yet generally available
  • Professional artists developing mentor-guided specialist periodperformance practice as conductors, instrumentalists or singers

Funding Information

• The maximum amount that may be awarded to each successful applicant is: €20,000.
• The minimum that can be applied for is: €5,000.
• Please note that your application will be deemed ineligible if you apply for more than the maximum (unless you are applying for additional access costs) or less than the minimum amount stated.

Ineligible Funding

• Proposals that are better suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other organisations on behalf of the Arts Council
• Learning/practice/rehearsal of operatic roles or other performance repertoire as part of a performing career.
• Activities that have already been completed or have already started
• Proposals that are in whole or part directed towards charity-fundraising purposes, participation in a competition, or are for primarily profit-making purposes
• Activities that have already been assessed by the Arts Council, unless you demonstrate that you have substantively developed the proposal since previously applying or if the Council has specifically advised you to redirect your application to this award. Please bear in mind that such advice is not an indication of a successful outcome.

Who can apply?

• The award is open to professional artists working in all genres and at all stages in their professional careers. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Be professional practising artists – although they might not earn income continuously or exclusively from their arts practices, applicants must identify themselves and be recognised by their peers as professional practising artists
  • Have a demonstrable track record in their opera practice
  • Be resident in the Republic of Ireland. However, they may accept applications from outside the Republic of Ireland. In this case, you must detail in your application form how your proposal would benefit the arts in the Republic of Ireland. They would need to be satisfied with your explanation.

Ineligibility Criteria

• People who are not eligible to apply include the following:
  • Individuals currently in undergraduate education (including those undertaking foundation courses)
  • Individuals seeking support towards fees for postgraduate courses (including unaccredited)/higher education or study
  • Individuals seeking support towards work undertaken as part of postgraduate studies
  • Individuals seeking costs towards undertaking an internship
  • Individuals seeking support towards work undertaken specifically in preparation for contracted engagements.
  • They cannot accept applications from those employed or contracted on a fulltime basis by an arts organisation funded through Arts Council programmes or through direct state subsidy or by a commercial arts entity
  • Aosdána members in receipt of a cnuas.

For more information, visit The Art Council.