Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Announces the Cast and Creative Team for La traviata
The beloved Verdi classic returns in OTSL’s 2027 Festival Season
ST. LOUIS, MO, October 15 – Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) today announced the cast and creative team for a new production of Verdi’s La traviata, one of opera’s most enduring and beloved masterpieces. Led by OTSL’s Principal Conductor Daniela Candillari and acclaimed stage director Bruno Ravella, who returns to the company for the first time since directing Rigoletto in 2019, the production brings together a distinguished roster of artists, including several familiar faces from past Opera Theatre seasons.
Creative Team & Cast
Daniela Candillari
Conductor
Bruno Ravella
Stage Director
Susanne Burgess
Violetta Valéry
Daniel Luis Espinal
Alfredo Germont
Troy Cook
Giorgio Germont
The role of Violetta Valéry will be sung by soprano and former Gerdine Young Artist (GYA) Susanne Burgess, who was hailed as “perfection incarnate” (BroadwayWorld) for her portrayal of Norina in Don Pasquale (2025). She appears alongside tenor Daniel Luis Espinal (Alfredo Germont), a 2024 Grand Finals Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition who made his Opera Theatre debut as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (2026). Baritone Troy Cook takes on the role of Giorgio Germont, returning to OTSL for the first time since Dialogues of the Carmelites (2014).
“I am deeply excited to see La traviata back on Opera Theatre’s stage,” said Artistic Director Patricia Racette. “Verdi created characters who feel astonishingly real, led by a heroine who confronts impossible choices with poise and grace. Bruno Ravella has articulated a stylish, contemporary vision for this new production that reveals just how timeless this opera remains. We also couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Susanne Burgess back in the tour-de-force role of Violetta. Her house debut in Don Pasquale was one of the most exciting, electrifying performances I’ve had the privilege to witness at OTSL, and I have absolute confidence that she will be even more powerful in La traviata.”
Susanne Burgess as Norina in Don Pasquale (2025) at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. © Eric Woolsey
Daniel Luis Espinal as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (2026) at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. © Eric Woolsey
“Verdi’s music in La traviata is timeless and speaks directly to the heart. It can be intimate and delicate in one moment, and then have a highly dramatic intensity in the next moment,” said Daniela Candillari, Principal Conductor for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. “I’m thrilled to bring this beloved score to life with our cast and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and to collaborate with Bruno Ravella on a new production. Together, I think we can reveal both the beauty we know and love in this masterpiece and explore questions of human morality and society.”
La traviata will be performed as part of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ 2027 Festival Season, running May 22 through June 27 at Opera Theatre’s long-time home, the Loretto-Hilton Center at Webster University. All performances are sung in English and accompanied by members of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Season subscriptions are already on sale, and regular tickets go on sale Monday, October 26. For more information, call the OTSL Box Office at (314) 961-0644.
La traviata
Giuseppe Verdi
May 29, June 5 (matinee), 11, 13, 17, 19, 27 (matinee)
Choosing love should be simple…yet it rarely is. Violetta is Paris’ most celebrated courtesan, adored for her wit, charm, and glamour. But when she dares to choose a different life — one built on real love with the young Alfredo Germont — she is asked to make an unthinkable sacrifice.
La traviata tells the story of a woman forced to choose between love and expectation, even when a happily-ever-after isn’t guaranteed. As time and fate close in, Violetta risks her reputation, her heart, and her future for the chance to live with honesty and dignity. With music that moves from whispered tenderness to soaring heartbreak, Verdi’s masterpiece remains urgent, deeply human, and impossible to forget.
| Conductor | Daniela Candillari |
| Stage Director | Bruno Ravella |
| Scenic Designer | Erhard Rom |
| Costume Designer | Beth Goldenberg |
| Lighting Designer | Eric Southern |
| Violetta Valéry | Susanne Burgess |
| Alfredo Germont | Daniel Luis Espinal |
| Giorgio Germont | Troy Cook |
In addition to La traviata, Opera Theatre’s 2027 Festival Season offers Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, making its return to the Opera Theatre stage after more than a decade; Rossini’s bel canto classic Cinderella (La Cenerentola); and the world premiere of Safe Haven by Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman. Opera Theatre will also present its annual young artist showcase, Center Stage, highlighting the talents of the company’s Richard Gaddes Festival Artists and Gerdine Young Artists, and the free community concert Our Songs, which features a different guest curator each year in a celebration of music, connection, and community.
About Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a spring festival featuring casts of rising opera singers accompanied by the acclaimed St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Each season, OTSL presents four compelling new productions in English during the months of May and June. In addition to staging innovative interpretations of classics, OTSL is also committed to premiering new operas and reviving neglected works by prominent composers; as of the company’s 2027 season, Opera Theatre will have presented 46 world premieres and 27 American premieres. The company’s competitive young artist programs foster the next generation of emerging singers; these programs have been a springboard for countless artists to launch international careers. Beyond its Festival Season, Opera Theatre provides year-round programming and educational initiatives that reach over 80,000 people in St. Louis and beyond annually. OTSL is led by General Director Andrew Jorgensen, in collaboration with Artistic Director Patricia Racette and Principal Conductor Daniela Candillari.
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is funded in part by the Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission. Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges Webster University for its sustaining partnership.
About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Celebrated as one of today’s most exciting, innovative, and enduring orchestras, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the nation’s second oldest, marking its 147th year with the 2026/27 season. The visionary and heartfelt approach of Stéphane Denève, The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director, anchors more than 400 extraordinary artists across four ensembles.
A leading American orchestra, the Grammy Award–winning SLSO is dedicated to its mission of enriching lives through the power of music, fostering a vibrant and connected community. The SLSO is committed to making music more accessible to all, furthered by the September 2025 reopening of its expanded and renovated home, the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, with historic Powell Hall at its heart. A cornerstone of the St. Louis region, the SLSO partners with more than 150 community organizations to deepen music access.
The SLSO shapes the orchestra of the future through its commitment to integrity, innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and responsiveness, elevating St. Louis as a global destination.
Daniela Candillari’s engagement is made possible with generous support from Kim & Tim Eberlein.
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