Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has announced a lineup of world premieres for the 2025 New Works Collective.

The series will celebrate its third year of a three-year commissioning cycle and stands as a catalyst for innovative, community-driven programming within the American opera scene.

For the 2025 edition, a group of 10 St. Louis citizens independently interviewed and selected the six artists who will create new operas in 2025.

The three teams are made up of composer Concert Black and librettist Alicia Revé Like, composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, and composer Tim Amukele and librettist Jarrod Lee.

The teams will work closely with a stage director and collaborate with OTSL’s artistic leadership and staff to develop and workshop their 20-minute operas. All three pieces will be performed on Feb. 6–8, 2025.

In a statement, General Director Andrew Jorgensen said, “It’s been a delight to see the boundaries of opera expand and grow these past two years, and we couldn’t be more excited about going into the third year with such an incredible team of creators. It will be our honor to bring their stories to our stage and share them with our community. On behalf of the entire organization, I want to extend our utmost gratitude to the St. Louis community members who served on this year’s selection panel; their thoughtfulness and care in choosing this cohort was remarkable. Our deepest thanks also go to the Mellon Foundation and the Edward Jones Foundation. Without their support, none of this would be possible. We’re grateful for their belief in our mission of making opera accessible for all.”

For the composer Concert Black and librettist Alicia Revé Like team. their work will tell the story of Makena, a millennial Black woman struggling with loneliness.”

The second opera by composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, will tell the story of a Chinese father and daughter as they navigate life in America.

The third opera by composer Tim Amukele and librettist Jarrod Lee will be based on the true story of Amanirenas, the one-eyed queen who ruled the kingdom of Kush (modern-day Sudan) for decades.