Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Announces 2026 Gaddes Festival and Gerdine Young Artists

St. Louis, MO — January 22, 2026 — Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is proud to announce the 2026 class of the Richard Gaddes Festival Artist (RGFA) and Gerdine Young Artist (GYA) Programs, welcoming an exceptional group of 28 early-career singers to St. Louis for the company’s 51st Festival Season. Led by Artistic Director Patricia Racette, OTSL’s Young Artist Programs offer extensive dramatic and musical training, mainstage performance experience, master classes with renowned teaching artists, and additional professional development opportunities across May and June. 

Selected from a highly competitive pool of 1,139 applicants and 490 live auditions, this year’s cohort represents an exciting new generation of operatic talent. The 2026 class hails from across the United States and around the world, underscoring the program’s status as a global destination for emerging operatic talent.

“This group embodies exactly what we hope to foster through our Young Artist Programs: curiosity, artistry, passion, and the courage to grow,” said Patricia Racette, Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. “Each year, I’m inspired by the depth of talent that comes through our doors, and this class is no exception. These artists are ready to be challenged, and we are ready to meet them there.” 

Established in 1986, the Gerdine Young Artist Program is a cornerstone of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ mission to nurture the next generation of operatic talent. The program offers singers vital early-career opportunities to perform supporting roles in mainstage productions, understudy major roles, and serve as the Festival Season’s chorus. In 2016, the Richard Gaddes Festival Artist Program was created in honor of OTSL’s founding general director and offers extraordinary young singers the opportunity to take on more prominent featured and leading roles. Across both programs, all young artists work side by side with internationally acclaimed singers, conductors, and directors while receiving intensive training in musical interpretation, acting, movement, and diction. 

The 2026 RGFAs and GYAs will step into the spotlight at Center Stage, a showcase concert on Tuesday, June 23. This beloved annual event features duets, trios, and ensembles from operatic classics and rarely performed gems, performed exclusively by young artists and accompanied onstage by the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.  

“Center Stage is one of the proudest moments of our season, year in and year out,” Racette said. “It’s when our young artists bring everything they’ve been developing into the theater — vocally, dramatically, and interpretively. For audiences, it’s an opportunity to discover extraordinary artists right at the beginning of their professional journeys.” 

Join us at Center Stage

As Racette steps into her first season as OTSL’s Artistic Director, she remains at the helm of the Richard Gaddes Festival and Gerdine Young Artist Programs, which she previously led from 2019 through 2025 in her former role as Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs.  

“I’m thrilled to continue my work with these young singers,” Racette added. “I know from my own experience how essential deep, well-rounded training is — not only to succeed, but to sustain a career in this field. My goal is to help each artist build the skills, confidence, and artistic identity needed for a long and rewarding life in opera.” 

A complete roster of the 2026 Gaddes Festival and Gerdine Young Artists can be found below: