Commissioning New Work
We commission new opera rooted in Puerto Rico's musical history: the past working in the present to inspire the future.
Why Commission?
When the Project went looking for a Puerto Rican classical stage work made for young audiences, it did not exist. So we decided to create it. In 2024 we commissioned La Batalla de los Clásicos, the Project's first opera, to introduce Puerto Rico's great 19th-century composers to a new generation.
It is the same conviction that guides everything we do: using the past to work in the present and inspire the future. A living tradition does not stop at preservation; it also produces new work.
One-Act, Participatory Operas
We commission operas designed for young audiences: one-act, around 20 minutes, paced to the school day; participatory, because opera is best learned by living it; and held to an artistic excellence that is never negotiated.
In La Batalla de los Clásicos, three great 19th-century Puerto Rican composers face off in a musical duel, and the audience chooses the winner.
The Work and Its Team
La Batalla de los Clásicos comes from an all-female creative team: composer Johanny Navarro and librettist Paloma Sierra.
The opera introduces Juan Morel Campos, Manuel Gregorio Tavárez, and Felipe Gutiérrez y Espinosa, and in its orchestrated version, scored for flute, violin, and cello, it is sung in both Spanish and English.
In their own words
“This collaboration not only marks an important milestone in my career but also reflects my commitment to expanding the operatic genre in Puerto Rico. Through this new opera, we aim to offer our audience a unique and authentic experience.”
Johanny Navarrocomposer“Puerto Rico has always been a cradle of immense musical talent, and opera is no exception. It is a great pleasure to work alongside the distinguished composer Johanny Navarro and the Olga Iglesias Project to shed light on the history of opera in our island and the Caribbean.”
Paloma SierralibrettistThe Process, on Film
We filmed the development of La Batalla de los Clásicos phase by phase: the libretto reading, the piano workshop, the orchestration workshop, and the world premiere.
La Batalla de los Clásicos: World Premiere at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
Shaping New Opera: The Libretto Reading (Phase I)
Shaping New Opera: The Piano Workshop (Phase II)
Shaping New Opera: The Orchestration Workshop (Phase III)
The Work's Journey
February 2024
The Project announces the commission
Johanny Navarro and Paloma Sierra receive the commission for an original 20-minute opera: a musical duel among Puerto Rico's great 19th-century composers where the audience picks the winner.
Read the announcementNovember 2024
World premiere, with piano, at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón
The piano version debuted at Teatro Emilio Belaval before an invited school, Escuela Gaspar Vilá Mayans.
Read the announcementNovember 2025
The orchestrated version debuts at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music
A new score for flute, violin, and cello, sung in Spanish and English and tuned with live audience response.
Read the announcementFebruary 2026
The orchestrated version reaches schools at Teatro Francisco Arriví
Six schools attended the culmination of the Project's first commissioned opera, supported by the Ángel Ramos Foundation.
Read the announcement
The Next Work
The Ángel Ramos Foundation has backed this work with two consecutive grants: $10,000 in 2024, which carried the opera to its world premiere, and $15,000 in 2025, which carried it, orchestrated, into schools.
We want to commission more one-act, participatory operas rooted in Puerto Rico's classical tradition. Your support makes the next one possible.