2026 WOMEN OPERA MAKERS

27 APRIL — 1 MAY 2026

Workshop dedicated to women artists working in the fields of performing arts and music.

Since 2016, the Women Opera Makers Workshop has marked a strong commitment by the Académie du Festival d'Aix to addressing the issues of parity and representation in opera. To this day, it is one of the Académie's emblematic programs. Conceived and refined in collaboration with stage director Katie Mitchell, the Women Opera Makers Workshop offers a space for strengthening the professional visibility of mid-career female directors, writers, composers and conductors. It creates a space for exchange between women whose careers are evolving in the broad field of musical or multidisciplinary creation and consolidates a network of influential female artists while providing concrete, structured career development tools. The workshop welcomes all those who identify as women.

Katie Mitchell and the Académie of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence will offer an online format for the Women Opera Makers Workshop and artists will be selected to take part.

The 2026 Women Opera Makers Workshop is supported by Société Générale Foundation main corporate patron, and SACD.

ARTISTIC SUPERVISOR

Selected artists

Anna Sofie Keller Brandsborg — Stage director (Denmark)
Juana Inés Cano Restrepo — Stage director (Austria)
Namoo Chae Lee — Stage director, librettist (South Korea / United Kingdom)
Véronique Chazal — Set designer (France)
Atefeh Einali — Composer (Iran / United Kingdom)
Aurore Fattier — Stage director (France)
Ola Ince — Director, dramaturg (United Kingdom)
Chloé Meyzie — Conductor, artistic director (France)
Marlene Michaelis — Stage director (Switzerland / Spain)
Rachael Nanyonjo — Stage director, choreographer (Uganda / United Kingdom)
Amanda Payne — Librettist, performer (United Kingdom / Netherlands)
Malika Rosalind — Stage director (United Kingdom)
Aileen Schneider — Stage director, author, spoken word poet (Germany)
Isabella Shaw — Musician, writer, composer (Finland / United States)
Caitlin Saylor Stephens — Playwright, librettist (United States)
Autumn Yun-Ting Tsai — Playwright, librettist (Taiwan)
Aya Yoshida — Composer (Japan)