ENO launches online search for new talent

The hunt for exciting visionaries will take place entirely online in conjunction with Mini Operas partners Vimeo, Soundcloud, BFI, British Council, Classic FM, Sound and Music and The London Film School.

The competition will run in three rounds dedicated to each discipline with renowned talent judging the entries. Artists with strong connections to ENO, Will Self, Terry Gilliam and Nico Muhly, will judge submissions for each relevant category. One participant will provide inspiration for the next as each round will be activated by ten final entries from the previous stage.

Winners will be mentored

Ten scriptwriter finalists will be put forward and composers will have the opportunity to compose an original score to these unique stories. From here, ten composer finalists will be picked by composer Nico Muhly and ENO music director Edward Gardner. The competition will then open up for film makers to construct their vision for the complete Mini Opera. The film section will be judged by film legend and director of ENO's The Damnation of Faust, Terry Gilliam.

The finale to the contest will take place at the British Film Institute in autumn 2012, when Gilliam will pick one winner from each category. Selected films, scripts and soundtracks will be showcased at the event, and one person from each category will be chosen to be mentored by leaders in their field.

They are award winning composer, writer and director Jeremy Sams, who has worked extensively in theatre both in the UK and New York and whose credits include Chitty The Musical, Amour, and The Water Babies; composer Nico Muhly, whose opera Two Boys was premiered at ENO last year; and Leo Warner, whose productions include Waves and War Horse at the National Theatre.

To find out more about the competition and how to enter, go to www.minioperas.org.