Blog Post: Aug. 20, 2021

Following their wildly successful and sold-out 2021 Outdoor Festival, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) announced today that all productions from that season will be available to view by digital streaming, September 3rd through September 30th.

 OTSL’s 46th season was the company’s first-ever to be held outdoors, with every performance sold out. After attendance reached capacity in just a matter of weeks, nearly 1,000 people joined a waitlist for tickets, eager to experience the first OTSL season in two years. In this remarkable season, the company presented no fewer than three world premieres with the New Works, Bold Voices Lab, bringing OTSL’s total world premiere count to 31 operas in 46 years. The 2021 Festival Season also included the operas Gianni Schicchi, Highway 1, U.S.A., and La voix humaine, along with the annual audience favorite Center Stage, which highlighted OTSL’s Gerdine Young Artists, and I Dream a World, OTSL’s first-ever concert honoring Juneteenth. Partnering with OTSL for their 43rd year as resident orchestra was the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

“We are delighted to offer these wonderful productions digitally,” said General Director Andrew Jorgensen. “It was important for us to document this exciting, albeit different season. Our outdoor festival was a fantastic success, but we could only accommodate 25% of our usual capacity. We cannot wait to share our season with the hundreds of supporters who were unable to attend, and we’re deeply grateful to our unions and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for working with us to allow this unprecedented digital access. We also wish to thank Once Films, a nationally recognized video production company, for their brilliant work in capturing and creating these digital offerings. Their expertise perfectly complements the incredible talents of our artists, musicians, artisans, and production crews. We can’t wait to release all six films on September 3rd.”

“Working with local institutions, businesses, and organizations that lift up our community, like Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, gives us all a great sense of purpose and fulfillment,” said Chris Ryan, Creative Director at Once Films. “The broader perspectives, deepened sympathies, and lively entertainment that we find through the performances at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis are things we’ve all sorely missed. Witnessing the excitement of attendees and performers has been a highlight of our year and an honor to produce; our goal is to carry that passion to the screens in everyone’s homes and hands. OTSL is filled with amazing champions of the arts and their craft, and we are incredibly grateful for our partnership with them.”

Each production can be viewed an unlimited number of times between September 3rd and September 30th.  OTSL’s  I Dream a World  concert, which was produced in partnership with the Missouri Historical Society, was a free live performance and will similarly be offered for free streaming in September. Those interested in watching the entire 2021 Festival Season can purchase a digital streaming pass for $130, or individual tickets can be purchased for $30 per production. K-12 and college students receive special pricing: $15 for individual productions, or $50 for a digital streaming pass. Digital passes can be pre-ordered now, and access to individual productions will become available on the first day of streaming, September 3rd.

Filming of the 2021 Outdoor Season is made possible with leadership gifts from Roma B. Wittcoff and the Berges Family Foundation.