Belonging in Opera
Belonging in Opera
Opera is shaped by many voices – from the composer and librettist who create the story, to the singers who bring music to life onstage.
How do these artists’ lived experiences impact the way they approach their work, and how does your own perspective shape your experience as a member of the audience?
In 2021, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, in partnership with WashU’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity (CRE2 ) and Department of Music, began a multi-year exploration of race and opera through scholarly conversations; exchanges between composers, performers, researchers, and arts administrators; and performances by some of the world’s preeminent contemporary musicians. We aim to gain unique insights into the ways in which race and ethnicity have shaped the history of opera and are animating its future.
Special Thanks to our supporting partners
 
Event information
Thursday, January 9
Don’t Be Angry!, a recital featuring Justin Austin
Tuesday, January 28
Meet the Makers, An Insider’s Look at OTSL’s New Works Collective
Saturday, March 11
New Works Collective Final Performance
Sunday, March 23
WashU’s Great Artists Series ’25: Lawrence Brownlee, tenor and Kevin Miller, piano
Thursday, January 9: Don’t Be Angry!, a recital featuring Justin Austin
Kemper Art Museum, 1 Brookings Dr, St. Louis, MO 63130
7:30 p.m.
Free registration
Co-presented by Opera Theatre, Kemper Art Museum, WashU’s CRE2, and the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences
World-renowned baritone Justin Austin will reprise a program he debuted at Carnegie Hall in March 2024. He curated this arrangement of songs in response to the often-heard phrase “Don’t Be Angry!,” highlighting irony, dissidence and rage. It includes music by Kurt Weill (Three Penny Opera), Olaf Bienert, Ricky Ian Gordon, and Robert Owens, set to poems by Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Tucholsky, Walt Whitman, and Langston Hughes among others. Austin will be joined in conversation with Sabine Eckmann, William T. Kemper Director & Chief Curator, to discuss this captivating program and accompanying exhibition.
Tuesday, January 28: Meet the Makers, An Insider’s Look at OTSL’s New Works Collective
Washington University’s 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130
7:30 p.m.
Free registration
Co-presented by Opera Theatre, Washington University’s CRE2 and Department of Music
Last winter, more than 150 artists applied to create new operas with OTSL. Ultimately, just three multi-genre teams were selected by a panel of St. Louis artists, advocates, and community leaders. Meet the artists who are pushing the boundaries of opera, hear musical excerpts from their works, and learn more from acclaimed scholars at WashU about the context surrounding each story.
Saturday, February 8: New Works Collective Final Performance
Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA, 6880 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130
7:30 p.m.
$15-55 general admission
Stories for St. Louis, chosen by St. Louis
Experience the future of opera with three all-new 20-minute works! Last winter, more than 150 artists applied to create new operas with OTSL. Ultimately, just three multi-genre teams were selected by a panel of St. Louis artists, advocates, and community leaders. Now, those three teams are about to prove just how innovative, inclusive, and fun opera can be. These stories will whisk audiences from ancient Kush to modern-day St. Louis, telling stories of friendship, sacrifice, and victory. Get ready for a night full of joy and discovery as we celebrate the power of the human spirit!
Sunday, March 23: WashU’s Great Artists Series ’25: Lawrence Brownlee, tenor and Kevin Miller, pianoÂ
Washington University’s 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130
7:30 p.m.
$35-40 general admission, $15 students/youth
Co-presented by Opera Theatre, Washington University’s CRE2 and Department of Music
Celebrated tenor Lawrence Brownlee will present a recital in collaboration with pianist Kevin Miller as part of the Great Artists Series at WashU’s Department of Music. Lawrence Brownlee is a leading figure in opera, both as a singer and as a voice for activism and diversity in the industry. In addition to a beautifully curated program of operatic hits, his performance will include works commissioned from six of today’s leading African American composers as featured on his Grammy-nominated album “Rising” This program speaks to the triumph of the African American community highlighting poetry of the giants of the Harlem Renaissance.
Opera Theatre is funded in part by
  
  
Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges our sustaining partner
Opera Theatre affirms its ADA compliance and is proud to promote diversity and inclusion in all activities.