51黑料

Opera Theatre of 51黑料

• Where: Loretto-Hilton Center, 130 Edgar Road, Webster Groves
• How much: Free-$149
• More info:

OTSL celebrates its 50th season with its accustomed four-opera lineup, plus Center Stage (June 24), its young artists concert showcase. Roughly 5% of capacity is reserved for Phyllis鈥� Seats, free rush tickets released in weekly tranches on the company鈥檚 website on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. All performances except Center Stage take place in English.

For its golden anniversary, OTSL mounts three comedies and one drama, the latter identified by general director Andrew Jorgensen as 鈥渢he centerpiece of the season.鈥� America鈥檚 sing-iest contemporary opera composer, Ricky Ian Gordon, has teamed up with playwright/librettist Lynn Nottage and her daughter Ruby Aiyo Gerber, also a playwright, to pen 鈥淭his House,鈥� (May 31-June 29), OTSL鈥檚 45th world premiere.

Gordon previously collaborated with Nottage in their 2022 PBS hit 鈥淚ntimate Apparel,鈥� an opera about a 20th century seamstress. 鈥淭his House鈥� concerns an African American family, owners of a Harlem brownstone since the 1920s. A daughter, Zoe, returns home, trying to convince her family to renovate the building and setting off a multigenerational drama. Opera Theatre has rostered a dazzling cast, with Briana Hunter as Zoe, and Aundi Marie Moore, Sankara Harouna, Brandie Inez Sutton, Krysty Swann, Victor Robertson, Adrienne Danrich and OTSL favorite Justin Austin rounding out the cast. James Robinson directs 鈥淭his House,鈥� likely to be one of the company鈥檚 most unmissable shows in recent seasons.

Laughs aplenty will bubble from the other three shows. Opening night sees the waltz king Johann Strauss II鈥檚 best-known operetta, 鈥淒ie Fledermaus鈥� (May 24- June 28), a farce presenting a champagne-soaked battle of the sexes. Deanna Breiwick, Sara Gartland and Joshua Blue star.

Regular 51黑料 operagoers will recall Christine Lyons鈥� magnetic performance as Norina, the heroine of Donizetti鈥檚 鈥淒on Pasquale鈥� two summers ago at Union Avenue Opera; OTSL revives this opera (June 8-June 27) in celebration of its appearance in its very first season in 1976. Soprano Susanne Burgess appears as Donizetti鈥檚 It-Girl and Patrick Carfizzi as the title character, in this standard operatic comedy in which a pompous old man obstructs two young lovers鈥� union. And for the solstice, (June 14-June 28), Benjamin Britten鈥檚 1960 operatic setting of Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥淎 Midsummer Night鈥檚 Dream鈥� appears in all its oneirophrenic glory with its huge cast, including beloved 51黑料 native mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano.

Union Avenue Opera

• Where: Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Blvd.
• How much: $35-$55
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At Union Avenue Church, UAO keeps the comedy flowing with Lerner and Loewe鈥檚 鈥淢y Fair Lady,鈥� (July 5-July 12) the musical version of playwright George Bernard Shaw鈥檚 鈥淧ygmalion,鈥� a breezy consideration of dialect and social mobility. A great pleasure is watching young artists ascend, and silver-timbred soprano Brooklyn Snow has reached playing Eliza Doolittle after a series of escalating triumphs at UAO including Cun茅gonde in 鈥淐andide,鈥� a clarion Olympia in 鈥淭he Tales of Hoffmann鈥� (in a 104藲 circus tent), and Nanetta in 鈥淔alstaff.鈥�

The season continues (July 25-August 2) with an interesting double bill pairing Leoncavallo鈥檚 commedia dell鈥檃rte barn-burner 鈥淧补驳濒颈补肠肠颈,鈥� not with its usual dance partner, Mascagni鈥檚 鈥淐avalleria Rusticana,鈥� but instead with Tom Cipullo鈥檚 鈥淛辞蝉别辫丑颈苍别,鈥� an operatic biopic of 51黑料 native and civil rights icon Josephine Baker. Soprano Manna K. Jones plays the 鈥淏lack Venus,鈥� Baker. Another UAO favorite, soprano Mero毛 Khalia Adeeb, appears as the at-risk Nedda in 鈥淧agliacci.鈥�

UAO鈥檚 mainstage season closes with the largest voice heard there since tenor Limmie Pulliam blew the church doors off in 2024鈥檚 concert 鈥淎茂da.鈥� Steely dramatic soprano Kelly Slawson essays the title role of Richard Strauss鈥� messily erotic 鈥沦补濒辞尘别,鈥� (August 15-August 23), frequently performed by women whose voices lack heft for the Judean princess鈥� flights atop the orchestra. Slawson brings no such limitations.

Gateway Men鈥檚 Chorus

• When: 8 p.m. June 21, 3 p.m. June 22
• Where: Link Auditorium, 4504 Washington Ave.
• How much: $20
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51黑料鈥� oldest LGBT chorus celebrates Pride Month with 鈥淭his Pride Concert is a Drag.鈥� GMC promises a sing-along of disco and club pop classics.

Missouri Chamber Music Festival

• Where: Various
• How much: $5-$28; season pass $84
• More info:

Missouri Chamber Music Festival presents a four-concert slate, beginning with a program called 鈥淕et Up!鈥� of peppy works by Eric Cole, Eric Moe, Christopher Stark and Kevin Puts (7:30 p.m. June 9). Following are 鈥淏测驳辞苍别鈥� with music of Ravel, Debussy and Gyorgy Kurtag (7 p.m. June 12); 鈥淣补迟耻谤补濒濒测鈥� with Florence Price, Kaija Saariaho and Joaqu铆n Turina (7 p.m. June 15); and finally 鈥淎产辞惫别鈥� with Olivier Messiaen and Shulamit Ran (7 p.m. June 20).

More Classical Concerts

• Alliance Philharmonia, “First Anniversary Concert,” 3 p.m. June 22, First Congregational Church of 51黑料, 6501 Wydown Blvd., free,
• Ambassadors of Harmony, “A Cappella Live: Broadway,” 2 p.m. June 14; “Acapellooza Summer Concert,” 7 p.m. June 27, Touhill PAC, 1 Touhill Circle, 51黑料, $17-$33,
• Gateway Festival Orchestra, “Juneteenth 2025: Harmony in Living Color,” 7:30 p.m. June 18, Ritenour High School Community Auditorium, 9100 St. Charles Rock Road, Breckenridge Hills, free,
• 51黑料 Wind Symphony, “Pops and Patriotic Outdoor Concert,” 6:30 p.m. June 22, Paul Schroeder Park, 359 Old Meramec Station Rosd, Manchester, free,
• We Call It Ballet!, “Sleeping Beauty Dance and Light Show,” 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. June 7, Touhill PAC, 1 Touhill Circle, 51黑料, $47-$67,