In October 2023, researchers out of the University of Melbourne and Deakin University published a study pithily titled “Unequal Opera-tunities” about lack of representation in opera in the United States. The study found that “women, as a group, experienced gender-based disadvantage.” According to the study, over the past 16 seasons at 11 of the largest opera companies in the U.S., women occupied only 86 of 1,671 conductor roles, or about 5%. Women faired only slightly better when it came to stage directing, accounting for 15% of director roles.

OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors aims to address this imbalance by providing funding for organizations to hire women for these creative leadership positions. The latest cycle of grants has awarded a total of $62,500 to 10 companies, including in New York City, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. Eight of these companies are working with women stage directors and two with women conductors.

Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors are supported by the Marineau Family Foundation.

The list of companies, directors, and conductors supported by the grants is below: