Flame and Shadow: The life and poetry of Sara Teasdale

A new chamber opera composed by Nika Leoni and Kathy Hedgpeth that brings the hauntingly beautiful poetry and turbulent life of Sara Teasdale to the stage, illuminating a powerful-yet-overlooked voice from St. Louis’s cultural history. Through an innovative blend of dual timelines, multimedia projection, and poetic storytelling, this work reimagines opera as an immersive journey connecting past and present. This production, which is a working preview of the opera still in progress, invites audiences to rediscover St. Louis heritage while witnessing the evolution of an ambitious new work.