12 Ways to get ready for the Festival Season at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

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by Daniela Candillari

In a recent conversation with the St. Louis Magazine, I was asked about the process of turning stories into operas and what it takes to write one. During that conversation, I also spoke about the vital role of the audience in live performance. While those of us on stage and in the pit may be the ones performing, the energy in the hall flows both ways. The audience’s presence – its focus, breath, and emotional responsiveness — feeds our work in real time. Through this symbiosis, the audience becomes an essential part of every performance.

As professional musicians, our preparation begins with the notes on the page. We study the music meticulously, honoring the work set before us by the composer and librettist. But that is only the foundation. Another crucial layer of preparation happens through research — reading composers’ biographies, studying writings about a particular work, exploring source material, and learning about the culture, history, and musical language that shape the piece. This deeper inquiry allows us to move beyond accuracy and toward authenticity. It helps us internalize the material so that what we offer on stage feels personal, truthful, and alive.

As we prepare for our 51st Festival Season at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, I’d like to share a few ways we can all prepare together. Just as performers engage deeply with the world of each opera, audiences can enrich their own experience through curiosity and exploration – reading the stories, listening to the music, and reflecting on the themes before arriving at the theater. Opera is at its most extraordinary when it is shared. The more we each bring – knowledge, openness, imagination — the more vibrant that shared experience becomes.

The Pirates of Penzance

We open the Festival with The Pirates of Penzance, the beloved operetta by W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. Together, Gilbert & Sullivan reshaped operatic storytelling through innovations in both content and form. Their works sparkle with wit, satire, and razor-sharp social commentary, all delivered through music of remarkable elegance and charm. Though much of The Pirates of Penzance carries the vocal fluidity and lyricism of bel canto opera, the duo’s influence reaches far beyond the operatic stage. Their seamless integration of dialogue, song, and ensemble writing laid important groundwork for the development of modern musical theater. In many ways, their legacy bridges the worlds of opera and Broadway.

1. D’Oyly Carte Opera Company Production

One of my favorite recordings of Pirates is by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. While the dialogue is omitted, the musical execution is wonderfully crisp and stylistically refined. The ensemble work is tight, the diction clean, and the pacing buoyant – qualities that allow Sullivan’s effervescent score to shine.

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2. 1983 Film

In the 1980s, there was a delightful trend of adapting operas for the screen, and among those projects was the 1983 film version of The Pirates of Penzance. Directed by Wilford Leach and starring Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, and Linda Ronstadt, the film captures the work’s theatrical exuberance with infectious energy. While the spoken dialogue varies somewhat in dialect consistency, the production is thoroughly charming — filled with spirited performances, vibrant choreography, and a joyful sense of theatricality.

Learn more on IMDB.com

The Light in the Piazza

Next in our season is The Light in the Piazza by Adam Guettel. Musical theater is a world I am continually exploring, and I’m especially excited that this production will be my first live experience with this piece. What draws me to The Light in the Piazza is the richness of its storytelling and the variety of ways one can enter its world.

3. 1960 Novel

One meaningful place to begin is with the original source material: The Light in the Piazza, the 1960 novel by Elizabeth Spencer. Spencer’s story is intimate and nuanced, exploring themes of personal freedom, love, protection, and the complexities that arise from cultural differences.

Learn more on Goodreads

4. 1962 Film

Following the novel’s publication, The Light in the Piazza was adapted into a 1962 film directed by Guy Green. The cinematic version offers yet another lens through which to experience this story, expanding its emotional intimacy through visual storytelling. What I find especially captivating about the film is its cinematography. The visual details provide a wonderful atmosphere, but they also immerse us in the cultural world that shapes the characters’ choices and relationships.

Learn more on IMDB.com

5. 2005 Broadway Cast Recording

The original 2005 Broadway cast recording of The Light in the Piazza is a beautiful way to become acquainted with the musical. Featuring music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, the recording captures the score’s sweeping lyricism, harmonic richness, and emotional intimacy of the piece. Listening to the cast album offers more than simple familiarity with the melodies — it reveals how the same story first told in prose, and later on film, is transformed through music. Orchestration, vocal color, and musical motifs illuminate inner thoughts and emotional shifts in ways that dialogue alone cannot.

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A Street Named Desire

One of my favorite operas, A Streetcar Named Desire, will receive its company premiere at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis this summer. Composed by André Previn, the opera had its world premiere in 1995 at San Francisco Opera.

For a contemporary opera, it is relatively rare to enjoy a sustained life beyond its initial production. Yet A Streetcar Named Desire has proven to be a remarkable exception. Since its premiere, it has been staged by numerous companies across the United States and internationally – a testament to both the enduring power of the story and the effectiveness of its operatic adaptation.

6. 1951 Film Adaptation

The opera, of course, is based on the iconic play by Tennessee Williams, and there is a wealth of material surrounding this extraordinary work. Some of my favorite resources, however, are connected to the landmark 1951 film adaptation directed by Elia Kazan and starring Vivien Leigh and Marlon Brando. The film’s raw intensity, psychological complexity, and palpable atmosphere offer profound insight into the emotional terrain of the story. Its performances feel almost operatic in their scope, laying bare the fragility and volatility at the heart of the drama. The film’s score, composed by Alex North, is equally groundbreaking. North received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and his music marked one of the earliest and most striking uses of a jazz-influenced idiom in a mainstream Hollywood film. The sultry, restless quality of the score mirrors the emotional instability and sensual tension that define the narrative. In many ways, North’s music helped establish a sonic language for this world—one that continues to influence how we experience A Streetcar Named Desire across artistic mediums.

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7. André Previn Documentary The Kindness of Strangers

As a longtime admirer of André Previn’s artistic output, I vividly remember watching the documentary The Kindness of Strangers as a student and feeling completely inspired by his remarkable musical journey. The film traces Previn’s multifaceted career and offers a portrait of an artist constantly moving between genres with curiosity and integrity. At the time, I did not yet realize that the documentary’s title comes from one of the most famous final lines in Tennessee Williams’s play, spoken by Blanche DuBois: “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” Discovering that connection later created a poetic bridge between Previn’s life in music and his operatic adaptation of this iconic drama.

Watch on YouTube

8. Leontyne Price and André Previn’s Right as the Rain

One of the most remarkable artistic collaborations of the twentieth century was that between Leontyne Price and André Previn, beautifully captured on their 1967 album Right as the Rain. This recording brings together two extraordinary musical voices from seemingly different worlds and the result is a genuine artistic meeting point. Their collaboration feels deeply personal, making this album so compelling in the way it dissolves stylistic boundaries.

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Romeo and Juliet

The final opera of our season is Charles Gounod’s Romeo & Juliet — a story that needs little introduction, yet continues to inspire generations of artists, composers, and performers. Its themes of love, fate, and conflict remain timeless, and each new interpretation brings fresh insight into its enduring power.

9. William Shakespeare’s original play

An aspect of the story I love the most is the richness of its layers, especially as found in William Shakespeare’s original play. The first time I encountered it, it was through a Slovenian translation, and even then the emotional intensity and complexity captivated me. Returning to the text in its original language later revealed entirely new dimensions – the subtlety of Shakespeare’s wordplay, the rhythm of his verse, and the layered characterization, which all deepened my appreciation.

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10. Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet

There are countless ways this timeless story has been interpreted, and one of my personal favorites, besides the opera, is Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo & Juliet. Prokofiev created three orchestral suites from the ballet, each offering a rich selection of movements. What I find especially exciting is the creative process of assembling our own selection from these suites while following the narrative. Each selection offers opportunities to shape the storytelling, highlight emotion, and maintain dramatic flow — effectively creating a new interpretation within the framework of Prokofiev’s brilliant score.

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11. 1968 film adaptation

The 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is iconic in its own right. Zeffirelli, renowned in the opera world for his lavish, larger-than-life productions, brought the same sense of grandeur and attention to detail to this film. One of the most groundbreaking aspects of his adaptation was the casting: for the first time, actors chosen were close in age to Shakespeare’s protagonists. This choice added a remarkable sense of authenticity and immediacy to the story.

Learn more on IMDB.com

**12. Aria Code Podcast**

One of my favorite podcasts is Aria Code, hosted by Rhiannon Giddens, and in this particular episode, the focus is on Juliet’s character — her choices and the remarkable courage she displays. The discussion delves into the inner strength required for the decisions she makes, offering a deeper understanding of her complexity and the dramatic stakes of the story.

Listen to Podcast on Apple