Soprano Patricia Racette will become artistic director of the filling a key management position of a company she has been associated with since her debut there in 1993.
General Director Andrew Jorgensen said Tuesday that she will take over on Oct. 1 from James Robinson, who had been artistic director since 2009 and announced in June that he was becoming general and artistic director of the Seattle Opera. Racette has headed the St. Louis company's young artist programs since 2019.
鈥淚 already have such a rich relationship with the company and with Andrew, so it鈥檚 sort of taking it to the next level,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t is my job to sort of be a leader in terms of programming, casting, creatives.鈥�
The company's 2025 season has 25 staged performances of four works, including the world premiere on May 31 of Ricky Ian Gordon's 鈥淭his House,鈥� with a libretto by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and her daughter, Ruby Aiyo Gerber. The company projects its operating budget at $12.5 million to $13 million.
Racette, who turns 60 next month, made her directing debut in St. Louis with Verdi's 鈥淟a Traviata鈥� in 2018 and went on to direct in Poulenc's 鈥淟a Voix Humaine鈥� in 2021 and Carlisle Floyd's 鈥淪usannah鈥� in 2023.
鈥淗aving lived my life on stage and now as a director, I鈥檝e been on both sides of the curtain,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that puts me in a unique position to understand what goes into putting on an opera.鈥�
Racette is to sing in Polenc's 鈥淒ialogues des Carm茅lites鈥� at The Dallas Opera in November and to direct her 鈥淪usannah鈥� at Opera Omaha in January. She will work in St. Louis with an administration that includes principal conductor Daniela Candillari and already has been involved in future programming.
鈥淎s she's added master teacher, as she's added mentor, as she has become a stage director, as she has taken a greater role in casting here,鈥� Jorgensen said, 鈥渟he has proven just time and again that all of those skills that made her such a spectacular performer, she now understands how to how to bring all of that, harness it and leverage it for the broader benefit of the organization.鈥�
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
