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.
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
Sunday, March 23
Great Artist Series ’25: Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Thursday, February 6 – Saturday, February 8
World Premiere of Opera Theatre’s New Works Collective
January 9: Don’t Be Angry!, a recital featuring Justin Austin
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.
7:30 p.m.; Kemper Art Museum
January 28: Meet the Makers, An Insider’s Look at OTSL’s New Works Collective
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 Washington University about the context surrounding each story.
7:00 p.m.; 560 Music Center
Februrary 6 -8: World Premiere of Opera Theatre’s New Works Collective
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!
7:30 p.m.; Catherine B. Berges Theatre at COCA
March 23: Great Artist series’ 25: Lawrence Browlee, tenor
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.
7:00 p.m.; 560 Music Center