This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 28, 2011 - A young singer with local ties took St. Louis' name to Moscow last week and made quite the splash in the Operalia Competition - an international opera contest aimed at celebrating the best young talent in the world.
Tenor Rene Barbera, from the Opera Theatre of St. Louis' production of "The Daughter of the Regiment," was one of the many emerging artists who took top honors at the world-renowned competition, joining winners from a wide array of nations.
"Every generation of opera singers is wondering who the next [star] is going to be," said Tim O'Leary, general director of the Opera Theater. "If you hear Rene, you think this guy really has a shot."
Other winners include youth from Russia, South Korea, Israel, Iran, South Africa and others.
Barbera performed "Ah mes amis!" (in French) from "The Daughter of the Regiment," and tooktop honors in three of the competition's categories: Men's First Prize for Opera, Men's First Prize for Zarzuela, and the Audience Favorite.
Zarzuela is a traditional Spanish-style music, similar to operetta.
Another soon-to-be local star, Rachel Willis-Sorensen, took first prize for opera and operetta at Vienna's Belvedere Singing Competition in early July. Willis-Sorensen competed against nearly 3,000 other young singers from around the world.
She will make her St. Louis debut at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis next season in "Cosi fan tutte," playing Fiordiligi.
According to O'Leary, the Opera Theatre engages young artists in several programs that aim to keep opera alive and growing among younger generations. The theater runs the Young Friends program, as well as the Gerdine Young Artists program - which received part of a $2 million donation from the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, the largest donation to the theater in its history.
"We find that the younger audience in St. Louis is getting increasingly engaged and excited about what we present at Opera Theatre," O'Leary said.
O'Leary mentioned the theater's recent production of a contemporary opera about terrorism, which resonated with younger audiences.
"We're committed to opera as a thrilling, theatrical, exciting experience," O'Leary said. "It starts with having really spectacular talent of an international caliber and taking a fresh approach."
Ryan Schuessler, a student at the University of Missouri Columbia, is a Beacon intern.