For Singers Looking for Operas Composed After 2000...

Written By Lisa Gray

UPDATED March 26, 2025 — For the Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition, singers must offer one aria composed after 2000. As a jumpstart on that aria search, below is a non-definitive list of operas composed after 2000.

Special thanks to Mark Campbell for his invaluable assistance adding librettists to this list. And thanks to Deborah Brevoort, who alerts us to the Aria Access Project, a free hub of downloadable contemporary aria sheet music written by alumni of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program. If you know of more 21st-century operas, composers, and librettists we should add to this list, please contact Jensen Competition Director Lisa V. Gray.

  • 27, Gordon | Vavrek (2014)

  • A Coffin in Egypt, Gordon | Foglia (2014)

  • A Flowering Tree, Adams | Sellars and Adams (2006)

  • A Metamorphosis, Christmas (2018)

  • A Nearer Mother, Mack | McGuire (2022)

  • A Pregnant Pause, Baxter | Rozsnyai (2024)

  • A Wedding, Bolcom | Altman & Weinstein (2004)

  • The Adventures of Pinocchio, Dove | Middleton (2007)

  • After Life, Cipullo | Mason (2015)

  • Ainadamar, Golijov | Hwang (2003)

  • Alice, An Operatic Wonderland, Scurria | Corriher (2022)

  • Alice in Wonderland, Chin | Whang and Chin (2004)

  • The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Bates | Scheer (2024)

  • An American Dream, Perla | Murphy-Moo (2015)

  • An American Soldier, Ruo | Hwang (2018)

  • Anna Hunter, Ching (2017)

  • Anna Nicole, Turnage | Thomas (2011)

  • Another City, Beck | Fleischmann (2023)

  • Another Sunrise, Heggie | Scheer (2012)

  • Arkhipov, Knell | Fleischmann (2022)

  • As One, Kaminsky | Campbell and Reed (2014)

  • At the Statue of Venus, Heggie | McNally (2005)

  • Bastianello, Musto | Campbell (2008)

  • Before Night Falls, Martin | Martin and Koch (2010)

  • Bel Canto, López | Cruz (2015)

  • Blind Injustice, Richards | Cote (2019)

  • Blue, Tesori | Thompson (2019)

  • Breaking the Waves, Mazzoli | Vavrek (2016)

  • Castor and Patience, Spears | Smith (2022)

  • Charlie Parker’s Yardbird, Schnyder | Wimberly (2015)

  • Cold Mountain, Higdon | Scheer (2015)

  • Cold Sassy Tree, Floyd (2000)

  • The Companion, Paterson | Cote (2014)

  • The Cows of Apollo, Theofanidis | Hoffman (2001)

  • Crossing, Aucoin (2015)

  • Dark Sisters, Muhly | Karam (2011)

  • Dead Man Walking, Heggie | McNally (2000)

  • Dinner at Eight, Bolcom | Campbell (2017)

  • Dog Days, Little | Vavrek (2015)

  • Dolores Claiborne, Picker | McClatchy (2013)

  • Doctor Atomic, Adams | Sellars (2005)

  • Dream of the Red Chamber, Sheng | Sheng and Hwang (2016)

  • El Niño, Adams (2000)

  • El último sueño de Frida y Diego, Frank | Cruz (2021)

  • The Eleanors, Goble | Ching (2024)

  • Elizabeth Cree, Puts | Campbell (2017)

  • Elmer Gantry, Aldridge | Garfein (2007)

  • Embedded, Soluri | Brevoort (2014)

  • Empty the House, Orth | Campbell (2019)

  • The Enchanted Pig, Dove | Middleton (2006)

  • Escobar, Neri | Martinez (2017)

  • Eurydice, Aucoin | Ruhl (2020)

  • The Exterminating Angel, Adès | Cairns (2016)

  • Factotum, Liverman | DJ King Rico (2023)

  • The Falling and the Rising, Redler | Dye (2018)

  • Fellow Travelers, Spears | Pierce (2007)

  • Fire Shut Up in my Bones, Blanchard | Lemmons (2019)

  • For a Look or a Touch, Heggie | Scheer (2007)

  • Garden of the Finzi Continis, Gordon | Korie (2022)

    Glory Denied, Cipullo (2007)

    The Grapes of Wrath, Gordon | Korie (2007)

  • Great Scott, Heggie | McNally (2015)

  • Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line to Freedom, Okoye (2014)

  • Having Guests for Dinner, Bentz | Feng (2020)

  • Home of my Ancestors, Okoye | Gonzalez (2017)

  • The Hours, Puts | Pierce (2022)

  • House of Orfeus, Ford | Ford (2024)

  • House Without a Christmas Tree, Gordon | Vavrek (2017)

  • I Have No Stories To Tell You, Beecher | Moscovitch (2014)

  • If I Were You, Heggie | Scheer (2019)

  • Il Postino, Catán (2010)

  • The Impresario and the Dueling Divas, Christman (2021)

  • The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, Sankaram | Handel (2019)

  • Intelligence, Heggie | Scheer (2023)

  • Intimate Apparel, Gordon | Nottage (2020)

  • Iron Road, Chan | Brownell (2001)

  • It's A Wonderful Life, Heggie | Scheer (2016)

  • JFK, Little | Vavrek (2016)

  • John Brown, Mechem (2008)

  • Josephine, Cipullo (2016)

  • The Knock, Vrebalov | Brevoort (2021)

  • Later the Same Evening, Musto | Campbell (2007)

  • The Listeners, Mazzoli | Vavrek (2022)

  • The Little Prince, Portman | Wright (2003)

  • The Lord of Cries, Corigliano | Adamo (2021)

  • Lucy, Cipullo (2009)

  • Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadows, Allen (2022)

  • Lysistrata, Adamo | Adamo (2006)

  • M. Butterfly, Rho | Hwang (2022)

  • Madeline Lee, Haddock | Campbell (2004)

  • The Manchurian Candidate, Puts | Campbell (2015)

  • Margaret Garner, Danielpour | Morrison (2005)

  • Marnie, Muhly | Wright (2018)

  • Mayo, Cipullo (2018)

  • Moby-Dick, Heggie | Scheer (2010)

  • Mother Goose, Jarrar (2019)

  • Murasaki’s Moon, Wiancko | Brevoort (2019)

  • Naga, Wheeler | Jacobs (2016)

  • Old Man and the Sea, Prestini | Vavrek (2024)

  • Omar, Giddens | Abels (2022)

  • Oscar, Morrison | Morrison and Cox (2015)

  • Our Town, Rorem | McClatchy (2006)

  • Ours, Estacio | Chafe (2016)

  • Out of Darkness (Two Remain), Heggie | Scheer (2016)

  • Outside, Blaskie | Christenfeld (2019)

  • Patience & Pearl, Jarrar | Goodwin (2016)

  • Penny, Pew | Weinburg (2015)

  • Plastic Flowers, MacDowell | MacDowell (2014)

  • prisoner of the state, Lang (2019)

  • Proving Up, Mazzoli | Vavrek (2018)

  • Quamino’s Map, Wallen | Brevoort (2022)

  • Rappahannock County, Gordon | Campbell (2011)

  • Rattensturm, Wold (2018)

  • Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt, Musto | Einhorn (2016)

  • The Rift, Ruo | Hwang (2022)

  • Rise for Freedom: The John P. Parker Story, Hailstork | Gonazlez (2007)

  • The Rivals, Mechem (2011)

  • Roscoe, Mack | McGuire (2014)

  • Scalia/GInsburg, Wang | Wang (2014)

  • Schiele in Prison, Schwartz | Comini (2025)

  • Service Provider, Weiss | DeSantos (2015)

  • Silent Night, Puts | Campbell (2011)

  • Soldier Songs, Little | Little (2006)

  • Song of the Nightingale, DeSpain | Tien (2023)

  • The Song Poet, Hagen | Yang (2023)

  • Speed Dating Tonight!, Ching (2013)

  • Steal a Pencil for Me, Cohen | Brevoort (2018)

  • Tabula Rasa, Jarrar | Goodwin (2018)

  • Taking Up Serpents, Sankaram | Dye (2019)

  • Tea: a mirror of soul, Dun | Ying (2002)

  • The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Talbot | Scheer (2020)

  • The Long Walk, Beck | Fleischmann (2015)

  • The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Bates | Campbell (2017)

  • The Scarlet Letter, Laitman | Mason (2008)

  • The Secret River, Sung | Campbell (2021)

  • The Silk City, Santelli (2019)

  • The Tell Tale Heart, Jarrar (2021)

  • The Tempest, Adès | Oakes (2004)

  • The Transformation of Jane Doe, Garrop | Dye (2020)

  • Thérèse Raquin, Picker | Scheer (2001)

  • Three Decembers, Heggie | Scheer (2008)

  • Three Way, Paterson | Cote (2017)

  • Thumbprint, Sankaram | Yankowitz (2014)

  • To Hell and Back, Heggie | Scheer (2006)

  • Touch, Lucero | Newirth (2024)

  • Treemonisha (Reimagined), Sneed | Chilton (2023)

  • Triangle, Solitro (2019)

  • Triângulo, Bejerano | Manich (2024)

  • Two Remain, Heggie | McNally (2016)

  • Uncovered, Laitman | Lax (2020)

  • We, The Innumerable, Nourbakhsh (2019)

  • When Adonis Calls, Borzoni | DeSantos (2014)

  • Written on Skin, Benjamin | Crimp (2012)

  • The Yellow Wallpaper, Tobias (2019)

  • you do not recognize the bodies in the water, Jarrar | Feng (2022)

  • Zorro, Armienta (2022)

Lisa Gray
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