This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 18, 2013 - Opera Theatre of St. Louis will present a free concert of well-know opera arias and art songs at 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, at Washington University's Graham Chapel. The program features what the press release calls "gifted young St. Louis singers."
Twenty-three students from 19 area high schools are participating in Opera Theatre’s year-long Monsanto Artists-in-Training program. Each week, each student gets a one-on-one college-level vocal coaching session. Teachers are voice faculty at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Washington University, Webster University and University of Missouri–St. Louis. This concert is their first OTSL recital and comes at the end of a 10-day residency by tenor Everett McCorvey, director of the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre.
In April the students will perform their second recital, a scholarship competition with $12,000 in scholarships including a $4,000 Monsanto Fund grant for the top prize winner. In its 23-year history,the artists in training program has worked with more than 180 regional high school students, and Opera Theatre has awarded these graduates more than $364,000 in scholarships to support their college educations. Many graduates have pursued academic degrees and professional careers in music. The Monsanto Fund has been the principal underwriter of the program since its inception.