Opera Theatre of St. Louis' Gerdine Young Artist Program 2024: Deadline August 4!

Opera Theatre of St. Louis' Gerdine Young Artist Program, led by Patricia Racette, seeks to offer emerging young artists invaluable performance experience as they begin their professional careers. In addition to singing in the mainstage production choruses, GYAs are featured in supporting roles, cover all mainstage roles, and are featured soloists in the annual Center Stage program accompanied by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, an event that draws opera administrators, artist managers, and national and international press to St. Louis each season. GYAs are hired on an AGMA contract and receive a weekly salary, round-trip transportation, a modest sustenance allotment and accommodations for the duration of their engagement. 

Season Information 
2023-2024 
The 2024 Festival Season includes productions of The Barber of Seville (Rossini), La Bohème (Puccini), Julius Caesar (Handel), Galileo Galilei (Glass), Center Stage Concert, and Black Music Month Concert. All mainstage festival season opera productions are performed in English. 
 
All leading (e.g. Almaviva, Rosina, Rodolfo, Mimi, Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, etc.), featured, and supporting roles for mainstage productions are covered by young artists. In addition, OTSL intends to cast the following Featured, Supporting, and Chorus Bit roles from its young artist programs:  
 
Soprano: Berta (Barber), Sagredo/Eos/Marie de'Medici (Galileo) 
Mezzo-Soprano / Countertenor: Nireno (Caesar), Maria Maddalena/A Scribe/Other 1/Ensemble, Cardinal/Oracle 1 (Galileo) 
Tenor: Parpignol, Prune Man (Boheme) 
Baritone / Bass: Fiorello, Ambrogio, An Officer (Barber), Custom-House Officer, Sergeant (Boheme), Achilla, Curio (Caesar), Cardinal 3/Priest/Ensemble (Galileo) 
 
Program Dates 
April 29, 2024 - June 30, 2024 

Deadline 
Received By Fri Aug 04, 2023 

Program Information 
Named after Opera Theatre's founding board chairman, Leigh Gerdine, and his wife Alice, The Gerdine Young Artist Program, led by Soprano Patricia Racette, Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs, seeks to offer emerging young artists invaluable performance experience as they begin their professional careers. In addition to singing in the mainstage production choruses, Gerdine Young Artists (GYAs) are featured in supporting roles, cover all roles in mainstage productions, and are featured soloists in the annual Center Stage program accompanied by members of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, an event that draws opera administrators, artist managers, and national and international press to St. Louis each season to discover the finest of emerging young artists. 

Past masterclass presenters include Nova Thomas, Marlena Malas, Phyllis Curtin, Evelyn Lear, Erie Mills, Jerry Hadley, Grace Bumbry, John Wustman, Sheri Greenawald, Lotfi Mansouri, Sherrill Milnes, Shirley Verrett, James Robinson, and Colin Graham. Gerdine Young Artists are hired on an AGMA contract and receive a weekly salary, round-trip transportation, a modest sustenance allotment and accommodations for the duration of their engagement.