Artists of color expand opera’s view with 3 new works at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Opera Theatre of St. Louis will present three short operas, all by artists of color who’ve worked largely outside the opera world. The works address the roots of Black, queer ballroom culture, three important inventors who were Black women, and the Supreme Court battle over a rock band’s attempt to reappropriate a racial slur. Mezzo soprano Olivia Johnson and tenor Matthew Pearce talk with us, as does the director of all three plays, Ramoon Rajendra Maharaj.