In July 2019, San Diego Opera partnered with Microsoft to bring together minds from professional theater companies, tech companies, and prominent university engineering and theater programs for Opera Hack, a two-day hackathon to discover new ways to use technology in theater. Forty multidisciplinary experts from around North America submitted 16 proposals to a panel of tech- and theater-based advisors. A total of $40,000 was disbursed to three winning ideas: Open Show Bible, Becoming (formerly Hamsafar), and Opera Map (see below for project details).

Join them on Wednesday, August 26, at 2:00 p.m EDT to learn more about the progress of the winning ideas and participate in live Q&A sessions with the winning teams and Opera Hack advisory panel, moderated by Marc A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. This webinar is scheduled to run 60 minutes.

Add the Webinar to your Calendar

How to Watch the Live Stream

•     Go to youtube.com/operaamerica at 2:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 26.
•     The live stream will appear on our YouTube page a few minutes before the scheduled start time. If you don’t see the live stream, try refreshing the page.
•     Click on the video labeled “live now” to start watching.
•     You can watch the live stream on a computer, tablet, or phone browser.
•     No dial-in number or access code is needed.
•     Questions? Email Conference@operaamerica.org.

About Opera Hack

Winning Proposals

Opera Map
A professional database using 360 photogrammetry capture for design, planning, and production rental. Team members: Anne Hiatt, Emily Wells, Muntaser Syed, Fabian Kim, and Victoria Robertson.

Open Show Bible
A collaborative, interactive, visual “show bible” made for and by creative and production teams that is easy to use and saves money during rehearsals, productions, and production re-mounts. Team members: Miller Puckette, h0t club (Kate Bergstrom, Todd Anderson, Martim Galvão), and Bryan Jacobs.

Becoming (formerly Hamsafar)
A musical experience combining virtual reality, haptic feedback, and Space3D at the Qualcomm Institute. Team members: Shahrokh Yadegari, John Burnett, Jeremy Cooperstock, Louis Pisha, and Francesca Talenti.

Opera Hack Team and Advisory Panel
David Bennett (SDO general director), Angel Mannion (project manager), Anne E. McMills, Dr. Chris Warren, David Adam Moore, Matt Witkamp, Charles Murdock Lucas, Ryan Hunt, Victoria Robertson, and Vita Tzykun.

Further information from Opera Hack and to view all submitted proposals and learn more about the project, click here.

Opera Hack is made possible by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation. Sponsored by Microsoft Corporation.