Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Set for Another Impressive Festival Season

Defying expectations, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis offers one of the most delightful opera experiences in the world.

Every spring, the company mixes beloved classical operas and bold contemporary works to create a spellbinding festival season. Through the talents of hundreds of local, national and international artists, St. Louis audiences experience the magic of innovative storytelling as they travel between fantasy and reality, comedy and tragedy, love and revenge.

All the operas are sung in English and accompanied by the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. “We believe that opera can be accessible to everyone,” Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, says. “We prioritize compelling music as well as transformational theatrics, and our pre- and post-show traditions add to the joy, excitement and fun – because that’s what an evening at the theater should be!”

The 2025 festival season will mark 50 years of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis with productions of Die Fledermaus from May 24 to June 28, This House from May 31 to June 29, Don Pasquale from June 8 to 27 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream from June 14 to 28.

The world premiere of This House, the company’s 44th commission, is the centerpiece of the season. Composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage and her daughter, Ruby Aiyo Gerber, the opera embraces the notion that we all walk in the shadows of our ancestors.

The Walker family has lived in the same Harlem brownstone since the 1920s, and they have fought hard to keep what they have. When Zoe returns home after many years, she asks her mother, Ida, and her brother, Lindon, to let her renovate the dilapidated building, but they can’t let go of the past. The house is their whole world, and every room is full of ghostly voices and painful memories. As hidden truths about the family’s legacy come to light, Zoe begins to realize that the secrets harbored within the walls are deeper and more profound than she ever dared to imagine.

Already getting national attention, This House fuels the company’s goal to redefine and expand opera, making it more innovative and inclusive than ever before.

“Creating new work is in our DNA,” Jorgensen says. “Our mission is to create a vibrant future for this art form, which so many people perceive negatively before they’ve ever walked into an opera house. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has commissioned more operas than any other opera company in the country with the idea that opera can tell stories that are relevant to life today and relevant to people today.”

During its 50th anniversary, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is making plans for the next 50 years. The company is in the process of buying land in Clayton with the idea of building a new state-of-the-art performing arts center there.

“This is our opportunity to create a new home,” Jorgensen says. “Our vision is so much bigger than us, though; we want the new performing arts center to serve the needs of our festival season as well as the needs of the broader arts community.

“We’re so grateful to the local community, from our partners to our volunteers to our audiences,” he continues. “They have nurtured Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for 50 years, allowing for the growth, development and success of opera in St. Louis. It was not obvious on opening night in 1976 that this start-up would become an internationally celebrated arts organization, but the support of the St. Louis community has made that possible.”