Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Names New Principal Conductor, Extends Artistic Leadership Appointments

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) announced exciting updates and additions to its distinguished artistic team: contracts for both Artistic Director James Robinson and Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs Patricia Racette have been extended to 2026, and fast-rising conductor Daniela Candillari has been named OTSL’s first Principal Conductor in a new three-year appointment.

“Opera Theatre is fortunate to have such a brilliant and innovative artistic team,” said General Director Andrew Jorgensen. “We are elated to extend the contracts of James Robinson and Patricia Racette. They are pushing this art form forward in dynamic ways, and their visionary work enables us to continue taking bold and transformative steps in opera. We are equally thrilled about Daniela Candillari’s appointment, and are looking forward to her musical leadership in the coming years. Cementing these three contracts is an essential step in OTSL’s continued growth and journey towards even greater artistic heights.”

In the newly created role of Principal Conductor, Daniela Candillari will collaborate with OTSL’s leadership to shape the artistic direction of the company, providing oversight to ensure the highest quality of musical preparation for each production and partnering with the musicians of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to sustain an environment that supports creative development. She will conduct one festival season production each year, as well as the annual Center Stage concert featuring Opera Theatre’s Gerdine Young Artists and Richard Gaddes Festival Artists.

Candillari, who made her OTSL debut in 2021 with the New Works, Bold Voices Lab, is quickly becoming one of opera’s most in-demand conductors. Born in Serbia, Candillari grew up in Serbia and Slovenia, and her career has taken her to many of the country’s leading orchestras and opera companies, including the New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, and Opera Philadelphia. After the conclusion of the 2021 Outdoor Festival Season, she led the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) in a concert of operatic hits, celebrating the historic and important 44-year partnership between OTSL and the SLSO. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut this past December with Matthew Aucoin’s Eurydice, and will conduct Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in March. She was recently appointed Principal Opera Conductor of the Music Academy of the West. Daniela Candillari’s engagement is made possible with generous support from Kim and Tim Eberlein.

“I am extremely excited to be joining Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Principal Conductor,” said Candillari. “During my debut in St. Louis last season, I felt welcomed by OTSL, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the audience; I also felt an incredible connection to the city and community of St. Louis. Since coming to the US as a student, I have always admired OTSL's commitment to young artists, new repertoire, and their high level of artistic achievement. I look forward to building a strong relationship with OTSL in the coming years, and working with the entire team who make OTSL a leading American opera company.”

Renewing his contract as Artistic Director, James Robinson is renowned for his championing of world premieres and newer works, and has had great success on many opera stages. In 2019, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut with a sold-out, Grammy Award-winning production of Porgy and Bess. Robinson’s production was so successful that the Met added additional performances, resulting in one of its most successful productions to date. In 2021, he received worldwide critical acclaim for remounting OTSL’s 2019 commission Fire Shut Up in My Bones at the Metropolitan Opera (the company’s first production of a work by a Black composer). Appointed Artistic Director in 2008, Robinson plays an instrumental role in curating each season at OTSL, and is a resource for rising composers and librettists across the nation. He has directed significant revivals including John Adams’ Nixon in China and no fewer than 10 world premieres including Terence Blanchard’s Champion, Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown, and Ricky Ian Gordon’s “27.”

“It has been my great pleasure to serve OTSL as Artistic Director for the past fourteen years,” said Robinson. “When I first joined OTSL, I already considered St. Louis my favorite artistic port of call. Today, I consider it my artistic home. Over the years, such initiatives as our New Works, Bold Voices series have flourished and taken us in directions we never thought possible. The impact of OTSL in our community and the greater opera world has been profound. I am thrilled to continue working with Andrew Jorgensen, Patricia Racette, and now Daniela Candellari, in addition to the entire staff and board of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.”

Patricia Racette, winner of the coveted Richard Tucker Award in 1998, has been widely celebrated for her performances of leading roles on the world’s major opera stages. Making an indelible mark as a teacher and mentor in recent years, Racette has taught master classes at the Juilliard School, San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the Santa Fe Opera, among many others, and made her successful directorial debut at OTSL in 2019 in Verdi’s La traviata. Since her appointment as OTSL’s Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs in 2019, Racette has been instrumental in the growth of OTSL’s widely acclaimed Gerdine Young Artist Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she successfully transitioned the program online, arranging master classes with leading vocal artists and workshops with a wide variety of opera luminaries from companies around the country. Each year, she co-curates OTSL’s annual young artist showcase concert, titled Center Stage, with Artistic Director James Robinson.

“I am thrilled to continue my relationship with OTSL,” said Racette. “Along with the renewal of my contract, my passion for this art form and the responsibility I feel in cultivating the next generation of artists is reinvigorated. I envision their training at OTSL to be practical, tactical, and inspiring; young artists will leave the festival season experience with not only a sense of what it means to be an artist, but also empowered to find and express their own unique voice. Through this important work, I know OTSL will carry on as a launching pad for young artists destined for major careers in this industry.

All three will be instrumental in bringing the 2022 Festival Season to life; James Robinson will direct the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Awakenings, about the famous neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks’s efforts to cure a pandemic, and will also co-direct the new performing edition of Stewart Wallace’s Harvey Milk with director and choreographer Seán Curran. In addition to working with the Gerdine Young Artists, Patricia Racette will co-curate the Center Stage concert with Robinson, and Daniela Candillari will conduct the opening opera of the 2022 Festival Season, Bizet’s Carmen.

About OTSL’s 2022 Festival Season 

Tickets to the 2022 Festival Season are on sale now and can be purchased by phone or online. Season subscriptions start at just $46 for a two-opera series or $84 for a four-opera series, and single tickets start at just $25. For more information about the 2022 Festival Season, visit ExperienceOpera.org/Tickets?or call the Opera Theatre Box Office at?(314) 961-0644.? 

Continuing a commitment to equity in opera, OTSL will expand Phyllis’ Seats, a ground-breaking free seats program launched during the 2021 Outdoor Festival Season. Offering 50 free tickets at each 2022 performance, Phyllis’ Seats will be available to any member of the community on a first come, first served basis and may be reserved online or by phone the week of the show. More details about how to reserve Phyllis’ Seats will be made available later this spring.  

 

Carmen 
Georges Bizet
May 21, 27, June 4(m) 8, 12, 16, 22(m), 25  
(m) = matinee  

Free, rebellious, and beautiful, Carmen is the most desired woman in town. Every man wants her, and every woman envies her. Sparks fly when Carmen meets the young soldier Don José, and they quickly begin a passionate affair. José is ready to sacrifice everything for Carmen: his reputation, his career, even his family. But when Carmen leaves José for the handsome bullfighter Escamillo, a tangled web of lust, obsession, and jealousy play out to fatal effect. 

Conductor: Daniela Candillari 
Stage Director: Rodula Gaitanou* 
Set and Costume Designer: Cordelia Chisholm* 
Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind
Wig and Makeup Designer: Tom Watson
Choreographer: Seán Curran 

Carmen: Sarah Mesko 
Don José: Adam Smith* 
Escamillo: Christian Pursell* 
Micaëla: Yunuet Laguna*
Zuniga: Jesús Murillo**
Dancairo: Titus Muzi**
Remendado: Cesar Parreño**
Moralès: Schyler Vargas**
Frasquita: Shelén Hughes**
Mercédès: Jazmine Olwalia*

Leadership support for Carmen is provided by Lelia & David Farr. 

 

The Magic Flute 
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
May 28, June 2, 8(m), 10, 14, 18(m), 22, 26 
(m) = matinee 

Serpents and sorcerers are no match for true love. Prince Tamino is on a high-paced adventure to save the princess Pamina from the clutches of the evil Sarastro. But he’s not alone — his loyal bird-catching friend Papageno, two magical instruments, and three benevolent spirits are ready to help him through every trial. A whimsical and timeless story that features some of Mozart’s most beloved music, The Magic Flute is a favorite for all ages! 

Conductor: Rory Macdonald
Stage Director: Omer Ben Seadia*
Set Designer: Ryan Howell*
Costume Designer: Jessica Jahn* 
Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind
Wig and Makeup Designer: Tom Watson
Choreographer: Seán Curran

Tamino: Joshua Blue  
Pamina: Erica Petrocelli*  
Queen of the Night: Jeni Houser*
Papageno: Johnathan McCullough  
Sarastro: Adam Lau
Monostatos: Christian Sanders*
First Lady: Meghan Kasanders
Second Lady: Meridian Prall
Third Lady: Stephanie Sanchez
Speaker/First Priest: Evan Lazdowski**
Papagena: Angel Riley

Leadership support for The Magic Flute is provided by Noémi & Michael Neidorff. 

 

Awakenings 
Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman
World Premiere
Co-produced by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Tulsa Opera
June 5, 9, 11(m), 18, 24 
(m) = matinee  

Based on the book by Dr. Oliver Sacks, Awakenings tells the true story of his astounding treatment of survivors of the great sleeping-sickness pandemic, encephalitis lethargica. As this disease swept across the globe in the early twentieth century, thousands of victims were rendered immobile but sentient, like living statues. In the late 1960s, by experimenting with early Parkinson’s medications, Dr. Sacks began to “awaken” these patients, temporarily bringing them back to an active and engaged life.  

Conductor: Roberto Kalb
Stage Director: James Robinson
Set Designer: Allen Moyer
Costume Designer: James Schuette
Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind 
Wig and Makeup Designer: Tom Watson
Choreographer: Seán Curran 

Dr. Oliver Sacks: Jarrett Porter 
Rose: Susanna Phillips 
Miriam: Adrienne Danrich* 
Leonard Lev: Paul Groves 
Iris Lev: Katharine Goeldner 
Mr. Rodriguez: Andres Acosta* 
Mr. Podsnap: David Pittsinger
Ruth: Rachel Blaustein**
Frank: Jared Esguerra**
Dr. Muriel Else Landau: Elissa Pfaender**
Dr. Samuel Sacks: Keith Klein**
Ms. Kohl: Angel Azzarra**

Leadership support for Awakenings is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Edgar Foster Daniels Foundation. Major production support comes from Tim & Robin Wentworth. The commission is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.  

 

Harvey Milk 
Stewart Wallace & Michael Korie
World Premiere of a New Performing Edition
Commissioned by Opera Parallèle?and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
June 11, 15, 17, 19, 23, 25(m) 
(m) = matinee 

Hope will never be silent. Based on the true story of Harvey Milk, this opera delves into the tumultuous era of the 1970s to trace one young man’s journey to becoming a political icon. During his time as the “Mayor of Castro Street,” Harvey Milk fought for the rights of the disenfranchised...and paid the ultimate price for his work to advance those freedoms. Through Milk’s legacy, we are reminded that we are more united than divided, regardless of our background. 

Conductor: Carolyn Kuan 
Co-Stage Director and Choreographer: Seán Curran 
Co-Stage Director: James Robinson
Set Designer: Allen Moyer
Costume Designer: James Schuette
Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind 
Wig and Makeup Designer: Tom Watson 

Harvey Milk: Thomas Glass* 
Dan White: Alek Shrader  
Scott Smith: Jonathan Johnson 
George Moscone: Nathan Stark 
Dianne Feinstein: Raquel González
Anne Kronenberg: Mack Wolz  
Henrietta Wong: Xiao Xiao*
Young Harvey: Steven Ricks*
The Messenger: Kyle Tingzon*

Leadership support for Harvey Milk comes from the The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Whitaker Foundation, and the Berges Family Foundation. Harvey Milk is also underwritten by the Tawani Foundation in honor of Mark Throdahl.

 

Center Stage 
A Young Artist Showcase 
June 21 

Discover opera’s rising stars as they step into the spotlight for one thrilling night of song, co-curated by OTSL’s Artistic Director James Robinson and Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs Patricia Racette. Members of Opera Theatre’s nationally acclaimed Richard Gaddes Festival Artist and Gerdine Young Artist Programs — normally seen in small roles and the season ensemble — will perform iconic melodies from opera’s greatest hits and cherished rarities, accompanied onstage by members of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. 

Co-curator: Patricia Racette
Co-curator: James Robinson 

Major production support comes from Leigh & Jean Mason.   

 
A Celebration of Black Music Month 
Presented in partnership with Jazz St. Louis 
Date TBA 

Join Opera Theatre and Jazz St. Louis for a musical celebration of Black artistry across the decades, featuring local artists and members of Opera Theatre’s 2022 Festival Season and curated by soprano, writer, poet, and educator Adrienne Danrich. Originally from St. Louis, Danrich won an Emmy Award for her narration and performance of This Little Light of Mine: The Stories of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price and is the creator of the multimedia programs Echoes of the Harlem Renaissance and An Evening in the Harlem Renaissance. Planning for this concert is still underway; updates will be posted at ExperienceOpera.org/BMM. Admission is free.   

Curator: Adrienne Danrich 

 

* OTSL debut       
former Gerdine Young Artist 
** 2022 Gerdine Young Artist 
2022 Richard Gaddes Festival Artist

 

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About Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a spring festival featuring casts of the opera world’s most exciting singers accompanied by the acclaimed St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Each season, OTSL presents four inventive new productions in English during the months of May and June. In addition to presenting innovative interpretations of classics, OTSL is also committed to premiering new and relevant operas by prominent composers; since its inaugural season in 1976, 33 operas have premiered at Opera Theatre. Opera Theatre’s competitive young artist programs foster the next generation of emerging American singers; these programs have been a springboard for countless artists to launch international careers. OTSL is led by General Director Andrew Jorgensen and Artistic Director James Robinson.

Centene Charitable Foundation is the Presenting Sponsor of the 2022 Festival Season. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is funded in part by the Regional Arts Commission, Arts and Education Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Missouri Arts Council. Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges Webster University for its sustaining partnership.

 

About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra 

Celebrated as?a leading?American?orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in the country, marking its?142nd?year with the?2021/2022?season and its?third?with?Music Director Stéphane?Denève. The SLSO maintains its commitment to artistic excellence, educational impact, and community collaborations, honoring its mission of enriching lives through the power of music.??? 

?The SLSO serves as a convener of individuals, creators, and ideas, and is committed to building community through compelling and inclusive musical experiences. As it continues its longstanding focus on equity, diversity, inclusion, and access, the SLSO embraces its strengths as a responsive, nimble organization, while investing in partnerships locally and elevating its presence globally. For more information, visit?slso.org.????