Draft:Project Blank

Project Blank, stylized as Project [BLANK], is an interdisciplinary arts organization in San Diego, California. Founded in 2019, it specializes in performances of experimental music, chamber opera, and collaborations between visual artists and musicians.

History
Project [BLANK] was founded in 2019 by mezzo-soprano Leslie Ann Leytham and pianist Brendan Nguyen. Its first full season was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which paused plans for in-person events. Instead, the organization pivoted to virtual performances in 2020 and 2021, including online galleries of art and music and livestreamed performances of contemporary chamber music. In 2020, Project [BLANK] also created a short film based on the opera "Hanjo" by Toshio Hosokawa. The film was submitted to the Accelerate Competition hosted by Catapult Opera, winning the "Innovation Prize".

In the fall of 2021, Project [BLANK] returned to in-person events. This included the launch of The Salty Series, monthly concerts of experimental music staged in a decommissioned bread factory.

Recurring Events
The Salty Series is Project [BLANK]'s ongoing monthly series of concerts, featuring performances by artists and musicians from San Diego and neighboring Tijuana, Mexico.

Working Title is Project [BLANK]'s annual exhibition of experimental art and music. The first Working Title occurred in March 2020, the week before COVID-19 lockdowns in California. The exhibition returned in 2023 and is now an annual event, featuring artists, composers, and musicians from Southern California and Baja California.

Chamber Music and Opera
Project [BLANK] regularly produces concerts of contemporary classical music. It has presented chamber works by Peter Ablinger, Javier Álvarez, Pascal Dusapin, Morton Feldman, Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, Sarah Hennies, Laure Hiendl, Ulrich Krieger, Missy Mazzoli, Olivier Messiaen, Pauline Oliveros, Roger Reynolds, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Project [BLANK]'s productions of chamber opera have included the west-coast premiere of Andy Vores' "No Exit" (2023) and the world premiere of Carolyn Chen's "The Robots" (2024). In 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune called Project [BLANK] "an opera company to watch."