The Royal Opera House has announced that it will be presenting its Engender Festival in 2021.

The showcase is set to take place between July 12-17, 2021 and features talks and debates, works in progress, as well as concerts and workshops.

“Engender has been a highlight for me over the past year and it’s been a pleasure to welcome members from further afield including South Africa, Egypt and the USA. Engender is a vital space for women and gender minorities in opera to connect, empower each other and identify practical ways to move the issue of gender equality forward, all the more essential with the ongoing impact of the pandemic,” said Kate Wyatt, Creative Producer for The Royal Opera and Founder of Engender, in a press release. “18-months operating online has enabled the Network to grow in ways we had not imagined, both in number and ambition and now it’s brilliant to be able to come back together in person. The Festival will amplify our work, welcome more people to our discussions, present new work and ideas and share our future plans. Our ambition is to drive change in the sector and we encourage everyone to join us.”

The series will feature three Opera-in-Progress sessions including “History of the Present” led by Maria Fusco. She will be joined by Jude Christian as they explore how socio-political issues can be compelling subject matters.

Performance Date: July 12, 2021

Next up is a preview of “The Fortune Men” featuring writer Nadifa Mohamed and composer Nina Whiteman. Per a press release, the work  tells the “ true story of a mixed-race couple wrenched apart by unjust circumstances. A rich tapestry of musical influences (calypso, sea shanties, Jewish cantors, Welsh male voice choirs) articulates the unfolding of a narrative in a post-war, industrial setting.”

Performance Date: July 14, 2021

Next up is Director Daisy Evans and composer Laura Bowler’s “Lambs” an opera in the form of a podcast.

Performance Date: July 16, 2021

Closing out the festival will be “MAMI WATA,” a program curated by Pegasus Opera. The showcase will feature works by such composers as Bushra El-Turk and Errollyn Wallen, alongside music by Nkeiru Okoye, Lettie Beckon Alston, Dorothy Rudd Moore and Nahla Mattar,

“’MAMI WATA’ is monumental and groundbreaking, It brings together female artists to celebrate the vocal works of diverse female composers. It is an introduction to a rich, varied, yet often unheard-of body of work. It reflects the huge shift in consciousness when it comes to diversity and inclusion. To have MAMI WATA at ROH, world leaders in opera is significant. 30 years ago, I was the first Black British woman to give a solo recital in the ROH crush bar after winning the Maggie Teyte. This time I share the stage as I honor and celebrate amazing women composers,” said Alison Buchanan, Artistic Director of Pegasus Opera.

Performance Date: July 16 & 17, 2021

Audiences can also check out “Insight: Gatekeeping in Opera” on July 12, 2021 as well as “Insight: Gender Barriers through a Different Lens” on July 14, 2021.