Artists in Training
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Lester Lynch teaches Courtney Bailey proper singing techniques.

"At first, I thought it was a joke. A black opera singer?" The speaker is Jermaine Smith, a young African-American baritone who, since grad-uating from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis' Artists-in-Training (AIT) program, has begun a career as a professional opera singer.

With studio space and faculty from area universities, including Webster University, Washington University and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, the Artists-in-Training program provides high-school singers the opportunity to set and achieve artistic goals, become more involved and visible in the community and prepare for life beyond high school. It is the first program of its kind in the country.

During the school year, AIT students take part in weekly individual voice lessons with Opera Theatre professionals, attend a fall orientation and a spring college retreat. Each winter, they participate in a ten-day visiting artist residency, taking master classes with renowned college voice teachers. They also participate in group rehearsals and informal community performances.

Now in its second decade, AIT was created with the belief that urban school students have vocal talents that are largely untapped. Seventy-five percent of participants come from city schools. To qualify for the program, students must audition, submit academic records and teacher recommen- dations. The program also places great emphasis on academic achievement. A mandatory minimum GPA of 2.5 must be maintained, and many students, for the first time, consider a college career. Academic counseling is made available.

AIT culminates each April with a recital at which scholarship mon-ey is awarded for college tuition or further vocal study. More than 80 young people have completed the core AIT program successfully, all but one of whom graduated from high school. In the last three years, 90 percent of graduating seniors enrolled in college.

Several auxiliary initiatives support the core program. Each June, Opera Theatre holds a weeklong "Spring Training" for students who auditioned but weren't selected for AIT. This "mini-conservatory" better acquaints students with the world of professional opera and helps prepare them for the next round of AIT auditions. Opera Theatre has established formal matching scholarship agreements for AIT students with Webster University and University of Missouri-St. Louis. This year, "AIT-To-Go" was launched, making AIT faculty available to three St. Louis public high schools to work with students in groups or individually.

While the majority of AIT students probably will not have careers in music, each student's life is positively affected. Students have the chance to set and achieve artistic goals, and explore their own capabilities.