50th Anniversary Activities
As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary Season, we aren’t just reflecting on five decades of groundbreaking opera productions…we’re also examining how we fulfill a year-round commitment to our community. Our investment in St. Louis stretches far beyond the confines of our season every May and June. Throughout the year, OTSL is present in neighborhoods across the St. Louis region, bringing opera to new audiences and creating spaces for diverse voices to be heard. We hope to see you at one of the many events offered during our 50th Anniversary!
Event information
- Thursday Night at the Museum – July 31, 6:30 p.m.
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Tennessee Williams Tribute Performance: Streetcar and Beyond – August 10, 7:00 p.m.
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Patricia Sings Piaf – October 9, 8:00 p.m
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Festival Season Preview at World Chess Hall of Fame – October 16, 6:00 p.m
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Music as the Message Retreat – March 20–21 (2026)
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Music as the Message Concert – March 22 (2026)
Ongoing / To Be Announced:
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Belonging in Opera Series – 5th Anniversary in 2026
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Artwork & Arias – Date TBA | Contemporary Art Museum
Calendar of Community Activities
Thursday Night at the Museum
July 31 | 6:30 p.m. | Missouri History Museum
Join us for this look at Tennessee Williams’ life in St. Louis, what he loved about it, why he struggled here, and the freedom he ultimately found in St. Louis’s sister city of New Orleans. The program will start with a short presentation by Tom Mitchell, Festival Scholar for the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, followed by a discussion about A Streetcar Named Desire, both the play and the opera. The program will be punctuated with short performances and readings that bring Williams’ work to life. This event is free and open to the public.
Co-presented with the Missouri Historical Society and the Tennessee Williams Festival
Tennessee Williams Tribute Performance: Streetcar and Beyond
August 10 | 7:00 p.m. | The Grandel Theater
A special evening of readings, song, dance and music celebrating the work of Tennessee Williams, hosted by the Tennessee Williams Festival and featuring an OTSL artist. More information at twstl.org.
Patricia Sings Piaf
October 9 | 8:00 p.m. | The Sheldon Concert Hall
Patricia Racette, acclaimed soprano and Opera Theatre’s Artistic Director Designate, performs the songs of Édith Piaf in this captivating concert. Tickets are available at thesheldon.org.
Music as the Message
Music as the Message Retreat: March 20 & 21 | Contemporary Art Museum
Music as the Message Concert: March 22
Celebrated soprano Adrienne Danrich puts a new spin on her program Music as the Message. Adrienne will host a ticketed retreat to explore music as medicine and healing through art at the Contemporary Art Museum, followed by a Music as the Message concert focused on creating community and uplifting spirits.
More information to come
Stay tuned for more information about these ongoing programs:
An American Solider (2018) - (L to R) Andrew Stenson as Danny Chen and Kathleen Kim as Josephine Young in the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang's "An American Soldier" Photo (C) Ken Howard, 2018
Belonging in Opera Series
In 2026, OTSL will mark the 5th anniversary of this multi-year exploration of race and opera that features scholarly conversations; exchanges between composers, performers, researchers, and arts administrators; and performances by some of the world’s preeminent contemporary musicians. Through this work, 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.
Co-presented with WashU’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, & Equity (CRE2) and the Department of Music
More information to come
Artwork & Arias
Spend an evening experiencing connections between opera and the visual arts. In this curated program of arias, the powerful voices of OTSL artists resonate with themes and emotions also explored by visual artists in an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum.
Co-presented with Contemporary Art Museum
More information to come
Festival Season Preview at World Chess Hall of Fame
Join us for a special preview of Opera Theatre’s 2026 Festival Season and hear the “greatest hits” from the company’s upcoming productions, sung by OTSL’s outstanding Gerdine Young Artists.
Presented by the World Chess Hall of Fame
More information to come
Explore the 2026 Festival Season
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