Designed to discover and nurture vocal talent in urban high schools, Artists- in-Training (AIT) was launched as an experiment 6 years ago by the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in partnership with the Monsanto Fund and the St. Louis public schools. It is now a thriving, permanent project. Although many young singers belong to school and church choirs, only a handful have experienced opera or had access to the kind of vocal training that might lead to a career in classical music. Through the AIT program, students attend half-hour weekly lessons; two separate, intensive, week-long master classes with well-known visiting professional artists; a fall weekend planning retreat; numerous extracurricular concerts; field trips and Opera Theatre performances. The year ends with a public recital and a competition for scholarship awards judged by nationally recognized artists. These scholar- ships help students pre-pare for auditions and pay for college. Recently, a pre-college institute was added to the program to reinforce a focus on academics and expose teens to college life. One hundred percent of AIT participants have finished high school; 55 percent are currently in college (many of them vocal performance or music education majors); and 30 percent are still studying voice. Some have been invited to work with nationally known teachers.