16 February 2026, 14:00 – 15:15
Screening Hall 1
Opera has long embodied the Gesamtkunstwerk ideal — integrating music, drama, design, and performance. Yet in the 21st century, the art form risks lagging behind adjacent fields such as gaming, film, and XR, which are rapidly advancing immersive and interactive storytelling. This panel examines how opera can reassert its integrative potential by engaging with new technologies and cross-disciplinary practices. International leaders in composition, direction, and production will present case studies and discuss three key areas: Innovation and R&D – adoption of spatial audio, VR/AR, real-time interactivity, and hybrid stage–screen formats.
Distribution and Audience Engagement – models for reaching global and diverse audiences beyond live performance and broadcast. Collaboration and Institutional Models – frameworks for sustaining large-scale interdisciplinary projects through partnerships and funding. Drawing on the panelists’ most recent work, the session will demonstrate how opera can adapt strategies from other art forms while leveraging its strengths in narrative depth and live performance. The panel discussion promises to offer practical insights into production, funding, and distribution of immersive music-driven works, as well as an understanding of the broader technological and cultural dynamics shaping the future of audiovisual storytelling.
- Presented by The Guildhall School of Music & Drama, in partnership with FEDORA.
Moderator
Diandra Ferreira de Lima
Funding Programmes Manager, FEDORA
As Innovation and Partnerships Manager at FEDORA, Diandra manages the organisation of the FEDORA Prizes Biennale and the Next Stage Grants, from sourcing to accompanying projects and organisations in the process. She promotes the community of artists supported by FEDORA and organises in collaboration with expert partners the capacity-building programmes for emerging artists and creatives of the FEDORA network. Diandra holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Cultural Policy and Management from Sciences Po in France.
Speakers
Amy O'Dwyer
Head of Partnerships and Engagement, Irish National Opera
Amy O'Dwyer is Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Irish National Opera, where she works across national and international partnerships, audience development, and collaborative projects. She brings nearly two decades of experience across the arts and media sectors, including theatre, radio, television, and podcasting, with a background in creative development and project management. Amy has previously covered the role of Digital Producer at Irish National Opera and has worked as a voice director and producer on a range of professionally recognised audio projects. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Cultural Event Management from IADT and a BA in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin.
Dr. Amy Stebbins
Freelance librettist and opera director, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Dr. Amy Stebbins is a librettist and director known for immersive and hybrid opera projects. Awarded the Opera Festival Prize for Mauerschau (Bavarian State Opera), and recipient of fellowships from MacDowell, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, German Chancellor Fellowship, and Fulbright Foundation. Co-founder of New Opera Dialogues, she develops international collaborations bridging opera, new media, and research.
Michael von zur Mühlen
Director for immersive media, opera, and theatre
Michael von zur Mühlen is an opera director and dramaturg recognized for innovative, socially-engaged productions. Winner of the German Theater Prize DER FAUST 2023 (“Sound and Media”) and multiple accolades from Deutsche Bühne for experimental opera-film and game-inspired works. Regularly contributes to international panels and publications on contemporary music theater.
Dr. Toby Young
Director of Immersive Opera, Professor of Composition, Guildhall School of Music & Drama
Dr. Toby Young is an award-winning composer and producer whose work spans opera, electronic music, and film scores. Featured in the PRS Foundation New Music Biennial, Composer in Residence with the Orchestra of St John’s, and recognized for pioneering immersive experiences using VR, 360º sound, and interactive technologies. His compositions have been performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Glastonbury Festival, and broadcast internationally.
- IMZ
