Music Critics Association of North America Award for Best New Opera explained

The Music Critics Association of North America gives an Award for Best New Opera annually to given to a composer and librettist.

In giving the inaugural award in 2017, the association stated that the prize "which recognizes musical and theatrical excellence, will be given annually to a fully staged work that received its world premiere in North America during the preceding calendar year."^[1]

Recipients

Year	Opera	Composer and librettist	Finalists	Ref.
2017	Breaking the Waves	Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek	Anatomy Theater – David Lang and Mark Dion Fellow Travelers – Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce	^[2]
2018	The Wake World	David Hertzberg	Dinner at Eight – William Bolcom and Mark Campbell The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs – Mason Bates and Mark Campbell War of the Worlds – Annie Gosfield and Yuval Sharon	^[3]
2019	prism	Ellen Reid and Roxie Perkins	An American Soldier – Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang Proving Up – Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek	^[4]
2020	Blue	Jeanine Tesori and Tazewell Thompson	Fire Shut Up in My Bones – Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons prisoner of the state – David Lang	^[5]
2021	Sweet Land	Du Yun, Raven Chacon, Douglas Kearney, Aja Couchois Duncan	Eurydice – Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl	^[6]
2023	R.U.R. A Torrent of Light	Nicole Lizée and Nicolas Billon	n/a	^[7]

Notes and References

1. http://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2017/06/20/new-opera-award-goes-to-mazzoli-vavrek-for-waves/ "New Opera Award Goes to Mazzoli, Vavrek for Waves"
2. Web site: Missy Mazzoli's 'Breaking the Waves' Wins Historic Award. June 20, 2017.
3. Web site: MCANA's Second Annual Best New Opera Award Goes to David Hertzberg's 'The Wake World'.
4. https://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2019/07/24/mcana-award-for-best-new-opera/ "Reid, Perkins Win Opera Award For Profile In Trauma"
5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/blue-is-the-opera-on-police-violence-that-america-needs-to-see-but-cant/2020/06/16/76478bdc-ab4c-11ea-94d2-d7bc43b26bf9_story.html "Blue is the opera on police violence that America needs to see, but can't
6. Web site: MusicalAmerica - the Industry's Sweet Land is awarded 'Best New Opera' by MCANA.
7. https://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2023/06/19/torrent-of-light-tale-of-ai-threat-captures-best-new-opera-prize/#:~:text=A%20Torrent%20of%20Light%2C%20winner,Award%20for%20Best%20New%20Oper