“The reason composers and librettists should be equally credited is because it’s a marriage,” says composer Jeanine Tesori. Her thoughts have been captured in a short video, “Credit the Librettist,” that had its premiere in January at OPERA America’s New Works Forum. The video grew out of the Librettists Initiative: a collaboration between the Dramatists Guild of America and librettists Michael Korie and Mark Campbell, dedicated to creating standards for librettists regarding creative control, fees and royalties, and crediting.

"Credit the Librettist" includes the thoughts of a group of today’s most prominent librettists and composers, including librettists Donna Di Novelli, David Henry Hwang, Tony Kushner, Lynn Nottage and Royce Vavrek; and composers Anthony Davis, Ricky Ian Gordon, Nkeiru Okoye, Paola Prestini, Kamala Sankaram and David T. Little. The video also offers dos and don’ts of crediting works in posters, advertising and marketing materials.

“So many librettists are very timid and reluctant to assert their presence in the room,” says Nottage. “The more we do that, the more we will be rewarded.”