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"Patricia Racette’s production (June 10 eve) filled the lacuna, telling the sad, simple story plainly and effectively, and making a thoroughly persuasive argument for the dramatic validity of Carlisle Floyd’s 1955 opera."
—Opera News

"Carlisle Floyd’s “Susannah” (1955), an established American classic, got an excellent, well-cast production at OTSL, sensitively directed by noted soprano Patricia Racette. The work of the entire cast evinced the kind of dramatic detail that Racette brings to her own operatic portrayals."
—Wall Street Journal

"That said, I cannot imagine this nonetheless supremely affecting production could have been achieved without the masterful direction by Patricia Racette. Herself a notable and heralded proponent of the title role, Ms. Racette has not missed a trick, and has staged emotionally honest interactions for every dramatic situation. She has not only moved the large cast around with clarity, variety, and purpose, but really excels in the work’s private moments. I am sure that Ms. Brugger’s supreme vocal and dramatic achievement in her two arias was shaped in earnest collaboration with Ms. Racette. It is a crowning achievement for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to have mounted this remarkable evening in the theatre, led by three women at the top of their game: Gemma New, Patricia Racette, and Janai Brugger."
—Opera Today


Susannah won Best of 2023

"Now, for drama, there's no one better than soprano Patricia Racette, who always makes an indelible impression. Her Madame Croissy, the old prioress who's dying and is plagued with doubts about her failing faith at the end, is a masterclass in characterization..."
—D. L. Groover, Houston Press

"After portraying the likes of Tosca and Butterfly for HGO in years past, soprano Patricia Racette returned for her first local opera appearance in more than a decade to play Madame de Croissy. Zambello’s staging confined the ailing prioress to a wheelchair in her first scene and a bed in her second. Even so Racette still managed to hint at her dignity and resolve, and project the agonies of the nun’s death throes..."
—Steven Brown , Texas Classical Review

"A young aristocrat with a nervous disposition, Blanche (capably sung by Natalya Romaniw) is met by elderly prioress Madame de Croissy (Patricia Racette), who takes a shine to her but explains that even here, safety and refuge are not necessarily guaranteed..."
—Chris Gray, Houston Chronicle

"Opera Philadelphia continues its strong streaming pivot with La Voix humaine by capitalizing on the intimacy needed to successfully carry off Poulenc’s 1958 monodrama. James Darrah previously staged this work with soprano Patricia Racette at Theatre of Living Arts, a seedy and slightly rundown rock club in Philly, where the main character Elle was envisioned as a 1970s diseuse and the performance itself became a cabaret act..."
—Cameron Kelsall, Opera Philadelphia video stream

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"The best reason to see Opera Theatre’s production of Francis Poulenc’s 1959 one-act opera “La voix humaine” (“The Human Voice”) is soprano Patricia Racette’s bravura performance in the one and only role of Elle (French for either “she” or “her” depending on context)."
—Chuck Lavazzi, KDHS

"Soprano Patricia Racette, who plays the “main” character, Elle, and also serves as stage director, could be praised for her stamina alone, but she also gave a masterful musical performance and a moving dramatic one..."
—Erik Meyer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"Lyric boasted an unusually responsive cast. Sister Helen is a natural assignment for Patricia Racette, and her intelligent, subtle acting provided an object lesson in character insight and theatrical truth. Racette was also in exceptional voice. Her soprano timbre proved interesting in a role normally taken by mezzo-sopranos, and its silvery sheen contrasted tellingly with the testosterone-laden sound of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny..."
—Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News

"As Sister Prejean, soprano Patricia Racette traced a journey of self-doubt that was at least as physically and emotionally demanding. The two are locked in a battle of empathy and terror, and their scenes separate and together are as devastating as anything I have seen on the Lyric Opera stage in recent memory."
—Nancy Malitz, Chicago Sun Times

"Racette’s silvery sound seems to float, whether in the name of doubt or hope or benediction."
—Lawrence B. Johnson, Chicago on the Aisle

"The star of the show was Patricia Racette, an unusually youthful Kostelnička, who drowns her stepdaughter Jenůfa’s out-of-wedlock baby in order to protect her own social standing."
—Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal

"...the sopranos Laura Wilde (as a Jenufa driven from tenderness to numbness) and Patricia Racette (a sympathetic, truly human Kostelnicka maddened by piety) square off in scenes of concentrated intensity."
—Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times

"Moving from the lead to the heavier role, Racette showed the many colors of her middle range in golden trumpet sounds interspersed at quiet moments that had the velvet textures of a viola."
—Maria Nockin, Broadway World

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis General Director Andrew Jorgensen announced today two new members of the company’s artistic leadership team. Celebrated soprano Patricia Racette will join Opera Theatre as the Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs. Following a rigorous national search, Damon Bristo, currently a Vice President at Columbia Artists, will also join Opera Theatre, succeeding Paul Kilmer as the Director of Artistic Administration.

“I am excited to welcome these extraordinary new colleagues to Opera Theatre’s artistic leadership,” said Andrew Jorgensen. “I’ve known Patricia and Damon for many years, and respect each of them immensely. Patricia Racette is an incomparable singer and visionary artist who also triumphed in her directorial debut here in 2018. She has a rich depth of wisdom and perspective to share with young singers, and I know she will help advance OTSL’s artistic mission. I am equally thrilled to welcome Damon Bristo, who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the operatic canon in addition to having managed one of the finest rosters in our business. He brings a deep commitment to discovering and promoting young talent. These two appointments mark an exciting new chapter in Opera Theatre’s artistic leadership.”

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On Monday evening at the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards Patricia Racette received the Achievement in Opera award for her recent direction of La Traviata at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. The ceremony recognizing excellence in local professional theater was held at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts in Webster Groves.

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On This Episode: Patricia and Randy celebrate authenticity, collaboration, compromise, laughter, friendship, breaking the rules, life’s unexpected detours, “dogged” determination and what it’s like to be a PhDiva. Also, #Racettitative!

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"Patricia Racette is a splendid Kátia Kabànova under the baton inspired by Josep Pons"
—Xavier Cester, ara.cat

"Brave the soprano Patricia Racette as Katia, with that great recitative that is the text, without arias. It is difficult to say if [her] acting does not surpass [her] singing. And spectacular public reaction, clapping for six minutes."
—Marciel Chavarria, La Vanguardia

"Racette also shone in the final monologue "Videt se s nim" full of dramatic content. [Her] performance was endorsed by an audience that valued [her] delivery and total connection with the character."
—Miguel Martínez, Bachtrack

Barcelona, SPAIN: Patricia Racette stars as Kátia, a woman who seeks freedom at any price in a society bent on controlling others. Racette's versatility and varied repertory have made her one of today's great singers. She gives a benchmark interpretation in this masterly work directed by David Alden.

Performances are Performances are November 8, 11, 15, 20 & 22, 2018.

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Philadelphia, PA: The first Press is in for Ne Quittez Pas, a remiagined La Voix Humaine at Opera Philadelphia's O18 Festival starring Patricia Racette as Elle.

"Soprano Patricia Racette is superb in La Voix Humaine, a work that she makes absolutely her own."
—Parterre

"...For three-quarters of an hour, Opera Philadelphia triumphed — in casting Patricia Racette...When Racette walked out into the middle of the audience singing only a foot or two from your ear, her suffering became yours."
—Daily News

"At 53, her vocal prowess remains largely undiminished; she can still deliver a sonorous, easily produced high C...She manages a star performance through her remarkable subtlety and vocal grace."
—Broadstreet Review

"Soprano Patricia Racette's portrayal as Elle in La Voix Humaine was the most thrilling performance of Festival O18 so far...Delivering a one-person show is an arduous creative task to accomplish, and Racette does it with astonishing success."
—Schmoopera

+ Ne Quittez Pas Tickets & Info

Patricia Racette is slated to make her directorial stage debut in 2018. The soprano will direct a new production of Verdi’s “La Traviata” at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The production will feature sets by Laura Jellinek, costumes by Kaye Voyce, and lighting by Christopher Ackerlind.

In a press statement, Patricia Racette said, “My collaborations with James Robinson over the years have confirmed that he not only has the eye of a director but the heart and mind of a true musician. His style of collaborative inclusion has been – and continues to be – the cornerstone of my respect and enthusiasm for his work. I will always happily be on my ‘usual side’ of the stage with him in the director’s chair, and I am thrilled that he had the idea to welcome me into the realm of a director!”

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"At the Met we usually only get to see Patricia Racette in big dramatic roles, so to see her strut her comic chops as the one-buttocked Old Lady was a rare treat. With her plush tone, luscious phrasing, and sultry antics, “I Am Easily Assimilated” was a comedic coup..."
—New York Classical Review

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"In her role and house debut, Patricia Racette stood out from a strong cast...an ideal choice for the poignant role of Anna Maurrant."
—Bachtrack.com

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"The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) will present internationally renowned soprano Patricia Racette with an honorary doctorate at the institution’s annual commencement ceremony on May 19, 2017. Racette, highly sought after for her dramatic interpretations of roles both iconic and new, is known the world over for her lyrical expressivity and dynamism. She has performed on the stages of La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Royal Opera House, among many others. She is also the recipient of the prized Richard Tucker Award and the Opera News Award..."

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"Racette becomes Salome. She’s had some practice this season, having performed the role for the Met and Pittsburgh Opera. For an opera star over 50, she does a remarkable job of portraying a playful Salome in the opening, then dancing provocatively (and ending naked) for her lecherous stepfather, King Herod, in the famous “Dance of the Seven Veils,” stubbornly demanding her revenge, and finally giving us a window onto madness. Racette is fearless. Her complete absorption in one of opera’s most demanding roles is nothing less than awe-inspiring. This is Salome’s opera, and it was Racette’s at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The other characters are almost insignificant, mere pawns to move the story along..."

— CulturespotLA.com

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"One weeknight in 1985, a sophomore music student at the University of North Texas sat on the floor of her apartment and listened to a cassette tape that changed the course of her life. Patricia Racette recalls the moment vividly: Italian soprano Renata Scotto sang Puccini's "Senza Mamma" aria from Suor Angelica. A 20-year-old Racette followed along with the score, captivated by the vocal and dramatic opulence of the art she was consuming.

"Like a lightning bolt," Racette says.

Before that point, the pieces she had been given to sing "might have suited me vocally, but they did not suit my temperament. My teacher was smart enough to see that, so she gave me a little pain and suffering. Some 'Senza Mamma.' And we were off," Racette recalls with a smile..."

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