Opera Theatre of Saint Louis facts for kids

The Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is a special summer opera festival in St. Louis, Missouri. Each year, they put on about four operas, and all of them are sung in English. The season usually runs from late May to late June. The music for the performances is played by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. The company performs at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, which is on the campus of Webster University.

How Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Started

In 1976, three people named Leigh Gerdine, Laurance L. Browning Jr., and James Van Sant started OTSL. They hired Richard Gaddes to be the company's first artistic director. He later became the full-time general director. Gaddes said that the idea for OTSL came from The Santa Fe Opera, another famous opera company. He said, "The whole concept was modeled on Santa Fe."

The very first season in 1976 featured eleven performances. They showed operas like Albert Herring by Britten, The Impresario by Mozart, The Medium by Menotti, and Don Pasquale by Donizetti. OTSL always tries to mix well-known operas with new and different ones. This first season was put on with a budget of $135,000. Some young singers who performed then included Sheri Greenawald and Vinson Cole.

Big Achievements and Famous People

In its early years, OTSL did some amazing things. They had the first joint TV broadcast by BBC and WNET of Albert Herring. In 1983, they were the first U.S. opera company to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland. They also put on the first Japanese opera in Japan by an American company. Later, in September 2001, they went back to Tokyo to perform the Japanese premiere of The Tale of Genji, an opera based on a classic Japanese story.

Many famous directors like Graham Vick, Jonathan Miller, and Mark Lamos made their U.S. opera debuts with OTSL. Important conductors such as Leonard Slatkin and Christopher Hogwood also started their U.S. opera work there. Colin Graham was OTSL's director of productions for many years. John Nelson was the music director from 1985 to 1988.

Many other well-known U.S. singers have performed in St. Louis productions. These include Christine Brewer, Susan Graham, Denyce Graves, Dwayne Croft, Thomas Hampson, Jerry Hadley, Patricia Racette, Sylvia McNair, and Stephanie Blythe.

As of their 2022 Festival Season, OTSL has presented 33 world premieres. A world premiere means it's the very first time an opera has ever been performed anywhere. Some of these include:

• Stephen Paulus: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1982)
• Terence Blanchard: Champion (2013)
• Ricky Ian Gordon: Twenty-Seven (2014)
• Jack Perla: Shalimar the Clown (2016)
• Huang Ruo: An American Soldier (2018)
• Terence Blanchard: Fire Shut Up in My Bones (2019)
• Tobias Picker: Awakenings (2022)

Some of these new operas, like Champion and Twenty-Seven, were part of a special program called "New Works, Bold Voices." OTSL has also given at least 14 American premieres, which means they were the first to perform these operas in the United States. Examples include Jane Eyre by Michael Berkeley and Paul Bunyan by Benjamin Britten.

The company also helps young artists learn and grow through the Gerdine Young Artists program. This program is named after Leigh Gerdine, one of the founders. The young artists in this program form the chorus for the company's performances each year.

Leadership of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

After Richard Gaddes, Charles MacKay became the general director of OTSL in 1985 and stayed in that role until 2008. MacKay helped build the Sally S. Levy Opera Center, which is a permanent home for the company's offices and rehearsals. In 2005, OTSL started using projected English words (called supertitles) in the theater, so the audience could easily follow along with the opera.

Colin Graham was the artistic director from 1985 until he passed away in 2007. Stephen Lord was the music director from 1991 to 2017.

In September 2007, James Robinson was named the artistic director, and Timothy O'Leary became the executive director. O'Leary then became the general director in June 2008 and served until June 2018.

In April 2018, Andrew Jorgensen was appointed as the general director, a role he continues to hold. In February 2022, James Robinson's contract as artistic director was extended. Also, Daniela Candillari was named the new principal conductor, making her the first female conductor to hold this position for the company. In August 2024, James Robinson's departure as artistic director was announced. Patricia Racette is set to become the next artistic director, starting October 1, 2025. She will be the first woman to hold this top artistic role. Racette also continues to direct the company's Young Artist Programs.

General Directors

• Richard Gaddes (1976–1985)
• Charles MacKay (1985–2008)
• Timothy O'Leary (2008–2018)
• Andrew Jorgensen (2018–present)

Music Directors

• John Nelson (1985–1988; principal conductor, 1988–1991)
• Stephen Lord (1991–2017)
• Daniela Candillari (2022–present, principal conductor)

Artistic Directors

• Colin Graham (1985–2007)
• James Robinson (2008–2024)
• Patricia Racette (2025–present)

See also

In Spanish: Ópera Teatro de San Luis para niños

• List of opera festivals