The Gerdine Young Artists is an opera young artist program named for the

Opera Theatre of St. Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is an American summer opera festival held in St. Louis, Missouri. Typically four operas, all sung in English, are presented each season, which runs from late May to late June. Performances are accompanied by th ...

' founding board chairman and the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

recipient,

Leigh Gerdine Leigh Gerdine (22 June 1917 - 1 March 2002) was an American musician, composer, educator, civic leader and patron of the arts who was called "the spiritual father of the arts in St. Louis." A Rhodes Scholar, he served as President of Webster Unive ...

. The Gerdine Young Artists receive training and professional experience from internationally established opera stars and conductors. Teachers in their

master class A master class is a Class (education), class given to students of a particular Academic discipline, discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are b ...

es have included Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Marlena Malas, Phyllis Curtin,

Evelyn Lear Evelyn Shulman Lear (January 8, 1926 – July 1, 2012) was an American operatic soprano. Between 1959 and 1992, she appeared in more than forty operatic roles, appeared with every major opera company in the United States and won a Grammy Award in ...

Erie Mills Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 at ...

Jerry Hadley Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), ''Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awar ...

, Grace Bumbry, John Wustman,

Sheri Greenawald Sheri Greenawald (born November 12, 1947) is an American soprano and music educator who had an active performance career in concerts and operas during the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century. She has portrayed principal roles i ...

Lotfi Mansouri Lotfollah "Lotfi" Mansouri (15 June 1929 – 30 August 2013) was an Iranian-born opera director and manager. He was an opera director from about 1960 onwards, and is best known for being the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company and ...

Sherrill Milnes Sherrill Milnes (born January 10, 1935) is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an inc ...

, Shirley Verrett,

Colin Graham Colin Graham OBE (22 September 1931 in Hove, England – 6 April 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri) was a stage director of opera, theatre, and television. Graham was educated at Northaw School (Hertfordshire), Stowe School and RADA. Early in his ...

, James Robinson, and Stephen Lord Members of the program sing in the chorus as well as in supporting roles and/or cover for leading and featured roles in mainstage productions of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. They also appear as soloists in the company's community outreach presentations. The Gerdine Young Artists are hired on an AGMA contract and receive a weekly salary, round-trip transportation, a sustenance allowance and accommodation during their engagement.Gerdine Young Artist Program
on the official web site of Opera Theatre of St. Louis

References

Music schools in Missouri {{opera-stub