Opera Innovators: Patricia Racette

Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Boston Lyric Opera are thrilled to welcome renowned soprano and stage director Patricia Racette to lead a masterclass with local students and rising artists from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Longy School of Music, Boston Singers’ Resource, and Boston Lyric Opera’s Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists as part of the Opera Innovators Series. Established as one of the foremost interpreters of Janáček and Puccini, Patricia Racette has garnered international acclaim for her portrayals of the title roles in Madama Butterfly, Tosca, Jenůfa, and Kátya Kabanová, as well as Mimì in La bohème and the three principal soprano roles in both Il trittico and Dialogues des Carmélites. Racette made her directorial debut with a new production of La traviata at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) in the summer of 2018. Other OTSL productions have included Susannah and La voix humaine, the latter of which she both directed and sang the leading role. In the summer of 2026, she directs a new production of A Streetcar Named Desire for the company. Her Susannah was mounted at Opera Omaha this past winter. She looks forward to directorial debuts at Houston Grand Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago in the coming seasons. Racette was recently named Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. She also continues to serve as the company’s Artistic Director of the Gerdine Young Artist and Richard Gaddes Festival Artist programs, which she has led since 2019. Patricia Racette will be serving as stage director for A Streetcar Named Desire as part of the Boston Lyric Opera 2026/27 season. George Gagnidze is presented as part of Boston Conservatory at Berklee’s Opera Innovators Series in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera. Boston Lyric Opera gratefully acknowledges David & Janet McCue for their generous support of Boston Lyric Opera in presenting the 2026/27 Opera Innovators Series. This event is open to all; RSVP required – stay tuned for more information.