
ABOUT
San Diego Opera (SDO)’s first OPERA HACK was held in 2018 with support from an OPERA America Innovation Grant, bringing together a diverse group of experts from theater and technology to brainstorm and develop new ideas to enhance the building blocks of opera. Forty multidisciplinary artists, designers, and engineers came together in San Diego, CA in July, 2019 and a total of $40,000 was awarded to three winning teams to support the research and development of their ideas. For the results of the first OPERA HACK, visit the Results page.
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We are honored to receive another Innovation Grant, which allows us to apply learning from the first OPERA HACK to further identify and address some of our industry's most important problems with new technologies.
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In OPERA HACK 2.0, we will:
1) Conduct an industry-wide survey to identify challenges currently facing our industry.
2) Hold an online, international hackathon to discover technological solutions for the identified challenges.
3) Award $15,000 in total to up to (3) three innovative proposals for solutions to these challenges.
4) Provide an online platform to host all proposals (with permission) so that companies may contact the creators for further development.
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The results of this survey will be used to identify challenges that our hackathon participants will be given for our month-long event (June 4 - July 2, 2021). The survey will close on Saturday, May 1, 2021.
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OPERA HACK is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.
COLLABORATE
To be a platform that embraces diversity and solves problems by combining expertise
from all backgrounds of theater and technology.
INNOVATE
To discover new methods for technology to be used in the production and presentation of music theater.
EVOLVE
To promote new ways to make all forms of theater more exciting, affordable, and environmentally sustainable.
OUR MISSION
2021 LEADERSHIP
Click here to view full bios

MOLLY BRAVERMAN
Advisor
Director, Broadway Green Alliance
New York City, New York

JENNIFER
DAUTERMANN
Advisor
Founding Director, Classical: NEXT
Berlin, Germany

SARAH ELLIS
Advisor
Director of Digital Development, Royal Shakespeare Company
London, England

CHARLES MURDOCK LUCAS
Project Director, Opera Hack
Scenic and Media Designer,
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

RYAN HUNT
Advisor
Lead Software Engineer,
The Walt Disney Company
San Diego, California

ROCKY JONES
Advisor
Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Minnesota Opera
St. Paul, Minnesota

STEVE LUKAS
Advisor
Head of Developer Relations Engineering, Magic Leap
San Diego, California

ANNE E. MCMILLS
Advisor
Head of Lighting Design,
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

DAVID ADAM
MOORE
Advisor
Baritone, Media Designer, GLMMR
New York City, New York

ISAAC MUÑOZ
Advisor
Audio Engineer, Qualcomm
San Diego, California

ZACHARY SHARPELL
Advisor
Mechanical Engineer, Qualcomm
San Diego, California

VITA TZYKUN
Advisor
Production Designer, GLMMR
New York City, New York

DR. CHRIS WARREN
Advisor
Assistant Professor of Digital Composition and Sound Design,
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

MATT WITKAMP
Advisor
UX and UI Design
Founding CEO, Kampfire Studios LLC
San Diego, California

DEBI WONG
Advisor
Founding Artistic Director, re:Naissance Opera
Vancouver, British Columbia

SHEIVA KHALILY
Advisor
Associate Producer, Lux Machina
Los Angeles, California

DAVID BENNETT
General Director, San Diego Opera