December 4–6, 2025 | Yale University | New Haven, CT, USA
YOST: Y ⃒ Opera ⃒ Studies Today and New Opera Dialogues (NOD) are proud to present Who’s Calling the Shots? Aesthetics & Power in Contemporary Opera, a three-day international gathering examining the economic, political, and artistic forces shaping new opera today. In a number of dialogues and listening sessions, artistic teams from North America and Europe will discuss the evolving relationship between creative freedom and institutional expectation, asking how opera can continue to function as a complex, utopian force in an age that prizes simplification.
The conference brings together distinguished voices from across the field, including Melanie Bacaling, George Brant, Astrid Baumgardner, Joy Calico, Mark Campbell, Allison Chu, Moritz Eggert, Jean Hostache, Lily Kass, Elena Langer, Andrea Moore, Frances Pollock, Kevin Puts, Emily Richmond Pollock, Olaf Roth, Ewa Rucinska, Carlos José Pérez Sámano, Diana Syrse, Jeanine Tesori, and Dawn Upshaw. The event is organized by Gundula Kreuzer (Professor of Music and Founder of YOST) alongside Amy Stebbins and Hauke Berheide, co-founders of New Opera Dialogues.
Program Schedule
NOTE: Because of limited capacity, please RSVP by email (gundula.kreuzer@yale.edu) if you want to attend a particular session.
Location: Stoeckel Hall (Department of Music, 469 College St), Room 312
15:00 Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Presentation
presentation for BA, MA and PhD Students, led by George Cederquist
* This is an optional event for individuals interested in learning about the various programs run by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Location: 53 Wall Street, Room 208
16:00 Welcome Kick-Off
Informal mingling and introductions
16:30 Welcome: Gundula Kreuzer
16:40 Introduction: “The Imaginary Ear: Public - Popular - Populist”
Amy Stebbins and Hauke Berheide
17:00 Dialogue: Donors, Managers, Audiences: Who Decides?
Opening statements from Astrid Baumgardner, Moritz Eggert, Frances Pollock, Olaf Roth, Dawn Upshaw; time-keeper Amy Stebbins
Friday, December 5th
Location: 53 Wall Street, Auditorium
09:30-10:45 Dialogue: (Self)Censorship and Political Opera in the 21st Century
Opening statements from Mark Campbell, Allison Chu, Ewa Rucinska, Carlos José Pérez Sámano; time-keeper Hauke Berheide
11:00-11:30 Listening Session: Diana Syrse
Moderation: George Cederquist
11:45-13:00 Dialogue: Style, Originality, Accessibility: What is “Progress” in Music?
Opening statements from Joy Calico, Elena Langer, Kevin Puts; time-keeper Gundula Kreuzer
13:00-14:00 Lunch Break
14:00-14:30 Listening Session: Elena Langer
Moderation: Dawn Upshaw
14:45-15:45 Break-Out Groups
Topics to be decided by participants on the basis of previous Dialogues.
16:00-17:00 Plenum & Recap: share and discuss outcomes of break-out groups
Moderation: Hauke Berheide and Amy Stebbins
Location: Sudler Hall, 100 Wall Street (= WLH R. 201)
17:15-17:45 Listening Session: Kevin Puts
Moderation: Adriana Zabala
17:45-18:15 Listening Session: Moritz Eggert
Moderation: Mauro Calcagno
Saturday, December 6th
Location: Stoeckel Hall (Department of Music, 469 College St), Room 106
09:30-10:45 Dialogue: Representation: Tokenism or Radical Reform?
Opening statements from Melanie Bacaling, Lily Kass, Albert Lee, Andrea Moore, and Diana Syrse; time-keeper George Cederquist
11:00-11:30 Listening Session: Jeanine Tesori, George Brant
Moderation: Gundula Kreuzer
11:45-13:00 Dialogue: Beyond the Opera House
Opening statements from George Brant, Jean Hostache, Emily Richmond Pollock, and Jeanine Tesori; time-keeper Joy Calico
13:10-13:30 What Next? Conclusion & Reflections
Moderation: Gundula Kreuzer & Amy Stebbins
The full program and participant biographies is available here.