Baritone Justin Austin Stars in World Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s 'This House' at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, May to June 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mallory McFarland | Morahan Arts and Media
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Baritone Justin Austin Stars in
World Premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s
This House at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

International Opera Award and
Marian Anderson Vocal Award Winner
Returns to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis,
May 31 to June 29, 2025

“captivating with easy magnetism, singing beautifully and raising everyone’s game whenever he entered.”
– Opera Magazine

“a velvet-voiced, intensely charismatic performance.”
– The New Yorker

www.Justin-Austin.com

New York, NY (April 23, 2025) — Acclaimed baritone Justin Austin – recipient of 2024 accolades Rising Star of the Year at the International Opera Awards and the Marian Anderson Vocal Award – returns to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House from May 31 to June 29, 2025. Austin was most recently seen at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis last season in The Barber of Seville, for which he won the 2025 St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his portrayal of Figaro.

Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with a libretto by Lynn Nottage and Ruby Aiyo Gerber, This House tells the story of Zoe Walker and her family, who have lived in the same Harlem brownstone since the 1920s. But as hidden truths about the family’s legacy come to light, Zoe begins to realize that the secrets harbored within these walls are deeper and more profound than she ever dared to imagine.

The cast features Justin Austin playing the character Lindon, and further includes Brandie Inez Sutton, Sankara Harouna, Aundi Marie Moore, Krysty Swann, Victor Robertson, Adrienne Danrich, Briana Hunter, Brad Bickhardt, and Christian Pursell. Daniela Candillari conducts and James Robinson joins as stage director.

Possessing a “mighty lyric voice” (The New York Times) “with a burly, burnished tone capable of striking nuance and color” (Washington Post), Drama Desk Award-nominated baritone Justin Austin has been deemed “a natural performer – a star awaiting a galaxy to form around him” (Washington Post), and has been praised for his “intensity and charisma” (Opera), “rich, pointed expressiveness” (Parterre), and “immaculate musicianship” (Seen and Heard International). This season, Justin made his house debut with Los Angeles Opera as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette (“a first-act highlight,” San Francisco Classical Voice) and returned for his role debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte (“a masterful singer and actor [...] irresistible charisma”, Indulge). He joined for selections from Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up In My Bones at La Jolla Music Society, The Soraya, and the Charleston Gaillard Center, and returned to Stuttgart, Germany for a concert with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace. Justin conceived and co-artistic directed My Brother’s Keeper with New York Festival of Song at Kaufman Music Center, and appeared in recital at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and Emory & Henry University. This April, he returns to Carnegie Hall for Brahms’s Deutsches Requiem with the Cecilia Chorus of New York.

Performance Information
This House (World Premiere)
May 31 - June 29, 2025
Loretto-Hilton Center | 130 Edgar Rd | Webster Groves, MO 63119
Link: ExperienceOpera.org/ThisHouse

Cast:
Brandie Inez Sutton, Young Ida
Sankara Harouna, Milton
Aundi Marie Moore, Lucy
Krysty Swann, Beulah
Victor Robertson, Uncle Percy
Adrienne Danrich, Ida
Justin Austin, Lindon
Briana Hunter, Zoe
Brad Bickhardt, Glenn
Christian Pursell, Thomas

Creative team:
Ricky Ian Gordon, composer
Lynn Nottage, librettist
Ruby Aiyo Gerber, librettist
Daniela Candillari, conductor
James Robinson, stage director
Allen Moyer, set designer
Montana Levi Blanco, costume designer
Greg Emetaz, video projections designer
Marcus Doshi, lighting designer
Seán Curran, choreographer
Andrew Whitfield, chorus master
Darwin Aquino, head of music / assistant conductor
Eric Sedgwick, repetiteur
Michelle Cuizon, assistant stage director
Jessie Mhire, assistant stage manager

Accompanied by members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

About Justin Austin
Possessing a “mighty lyric voice” (The New York Times) “with a burly, burnished tone capable of striking nuance and color” (Washington Post), Drama Desk Award-nominated baritone Justin Austin was named Rising Star of the Year at the 2024 International Opera Awards and is a recipient of the 2024 Marian Anderson Vocal Award. Deemed “a natural performer – a star awaiting a galaxy to form around him” (Washington Post), he has been praised for his “intensity and charisma” (Opera), “rich, pointed expressiveness” (Parterre), and “immaculate musicianship” (Seen and Heard International).

Following the world premiere of Damien Geter’s American Apollo at Des Moines Metro Opera (“a galvanizing, Herculean performance”, Opera Today) and appearances at Caramoor and the Sag Harbor Song Festival in summer 2024, Justin begins the 2024-2025 season with his house debut at Los Angeles Opera as Mercutio Roméo et Juliette, returning to the company later in the season in his role debut as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte. He also returns to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s This House, starring as Lindon. In concert, he returns to Carnegie Hall for Brahms’s Deutsches Requiem with the Cecilia Chorus of New York, and joins for selections from Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up In My Bones at La Jolla Music Society (La Jolla, CA), The Soraya (Northridge, CA), and the Charleston Gaillard Center. He also returns to Stuttgart, Germany for a concert with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Opera for Peace, and co-artistic directs My Brother’s Keeper with New York Festival of Song at Kaufman Music Center, an event he personally conceived. Justin appears in recital at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University (St. Louis, MO), Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and Emory & Henry University for a special concert with his father.

Last season, Justin Austin starred as Young Emile in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s premiere of Terence Blanchard’s Champion to great critical acclaim. He returned to the Metropolitan Opera, opening their season as the Motorcycle Cop in the company’s premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking in a new production directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as well as Washington National Opera making his role debut as Mercutio in Roméo et Juliette. He additionally sang the title role in The Barber of Seville at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and performed in the New York premiere of Damien Geter’s song cycle COTTON alongside Denyce Graves at the 92nd Street Y. In concert, he gave the Marian Anderson Vocal Award Recital at the Kennedy Center as the 2024 recipient and gave concerts with Houston Grand Opera, Strathmore and Washington Performing Arts, the Kimmel Center, and Des Moines Metro Opera. He gave recitals with pianist Howard Watkins at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Longy School of Music with the Celebrity Series of Boston, Gore Recital Hall (at the University of Delaware on Delaware’s Master Player’s Concert Series), and Atlanta’s Spivey Hall (Clayton State University).

Justin has received accolades and awards from The Recording Academy, NAACP, George London Foundation, Washington National Opera, Opera Ebony, Gerda Lissner Foundation, Manhattan School of Music, NANM, Choir Academy of Harlem, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He is the winner of the 2025 St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his appearance in The Barber of Seville at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and is the recipient of a 2023 Mabel Dorn Reeder Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis which goes to “the single artist in each season with the greatest potential to make a significant contribution to the art form of opera.” Justin is under the tutelage and mentorship of Catherine Malfitano.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Justin Austin is an alumnus of the Choir Academy of Harlem, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Heidelberg Lied Akademie, and Manhattan School of Music (M.M. and B.M.). To learn more, please visit www.justin-austin.com.

Photo at top of release by Gillian Riesen

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