SOLEDAD: IT MIGHT BE SURPRISING TO HEAR THAT CLASSICAL MUSIC IS INCREASING IN POPULARITY AMONG GEN Z AND YOUNG MILLENNIALS, IT’S CREDITED WITH HELPING TO EASE PANDEMIC STRESS. NOW TRADITIONAL OPERA COMPANIES ARE USING MORE CONTEMPORARY THEMES AND MUSICAL SCORES TO LURE YOUNGER AUDIENCES. OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JOIE CHEN RECONNECTED WITH SOMEONE WE FIRST MET LAST YEAR ON THE MATTER OF FACT LISTENING TOUR. ONE OF OUR TRAILBLAZERS AND TROUBLEMAKERS, MUSICIAN SIMON TAM. HE’S NOW TAKEN HIS SLANT ON THE AMERICAN LEGAL SYSTEM TO A VERY DIFFERENT STAGE. >> IN THIS TEST OF FREE SPEECH HIS WAS THE VOICE NOT HEARD. >> NO, THAT IS NOT US YOU ARE SPEAKING ♪ >> AT LEAST UNTIL NOW. >> NO, YOU DON’T KNOW OUR COMMUNITY ♪ >> THESE ARE THE WORDS SIMON TAM WANTED BUT DIDN’T GET TO SAY AT THE SUPREME COURT, NOW SUNG BY KOREAN-AMERICAN TENOR MATTHEW PEARCE, IN A PERFORMANCE THAT CHRONICLES TAM’S NEARLY DECADE-LONG LEGAL ODYSSEY ON BEHALF OF HIS ASIAN AMERICAN ROCK BAND, THE SLANTS. >> WE SING FOR THE JAPANESE AND THE CHINESE AND THE DIRTY KNEES ♪ >> TAM FOUGHT TO TRADEMARK THE SLANTS NAME, WHICH THE U.S. PATENT OFFICE INSISTED WOULD DISPARAGE ASIAN AMERICANS, THAT WOULD BE ASIAN AMERICANS LIKE SIMON TAM. >> I STILL REMAIN THE ONLY PERSON IN U.S. HISTORY TO BE DENIED A TRADEMARK FOR SLANT BECAUSE I WAS TOO ASIAN TO RECEIVE IT. >> THAT’S CRAZY. >> IT IS A BIT RIDICULOUS. >> BUT IN SOME WAYS INSPIRING. AFTER THE BAND FINALLY WON ITS SUPREME COURT CASE, TAM AND BANDMATE JOE JIANG STARTED A FOUNDATION FOR YOUNG ACTIVISTS, THEY GOT BOOKED AS FREE SPEECH EXPERTS, AND WERE COMMISSIONED TO COMPOSE THEIR NEXT ACT, AN OPERA. WHAT DID YOU THINK? >> THAT’S A GREAT IDEA. GO AHEAD AND DO IT BECAUSE I AM NOT QUALIFIED TO WRITE AN OPERA. >> BUT ONE YEAR LATER, THE OPERA THEATER OF ST. LOUIS PREMIERED SLANTED. AN AMERICAN ROCK OPERA COMPOSED BY JOE JIANG AND SIMON TAM. >> IF IT CREATES MORE ROLES FOR PEOPLE WHO LOOK LIKE US ON STAGE, IF IT CREATES MORE ROLES FOR ASIAN AMERICANS, I WILL DO IT. >> WE GOT A SNEAK PEAK AT THE FINAL PRODUCT DURING DRESS REHEARSALS. >> FREE SPEECH. HATE SPEECH. FREE SPEECH. >> SLANTED IS ONE OF THREE IN THE OPERA THEATER’S NEW WORKS COLLECTIVE WHICH FEATURES MARGINALIZED ARTISTS AND STORYLINES AND AIMS TO MAKE OPERA MORE ACCESSIBLE, ESPECIALLY TO YOUNGER AND MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCES. THE OPERA THEATER’S AHN LE. >> THINK THAT PEOPLE FEEL OPERA IS THIS ELITIST, EXPENSIVE ART FORM, THAT IT’S ONLY OPEN TO A SELECT FEW, WHEN THE REALITY IS THAT IT WAS DESIGNED TO BE THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE MASSES. >> TO COMBAT THAT PERCEPTION THE ST LOUIS COMPANY WENT EVEN FURTHER. IN A FIRST FOR AMERICAN OPERA, ASKING A COMMITTEE OF LOCAL CITIZENS -- NOT EXPERTS -- TO CHOOSE WHICH OPERAS TO COMMISSION. >> WHY TAKE THAT RISK? >> I THINK THAT RISK IS NECESSARY TO KEEP OUR ART FORM ALIVE. IF PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR US TO RETHINK WHAT WE DO TO MAKE IT RELEVANT TO THEM, THIS IS A NECESSARY STEP. SO YES, IT’S RISKY, BUT IT’S ALSO COMPLETELY NECESSARY. >> SLANTED TELLS THE STORY OF JUST ONE BAND, BUT CARRIES A UNIVERSAL THEME OF ISOLATION, AND OF BELONGING. >> I THINK EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE INVISIBLE AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIVES. EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU’RE NOT HEARD AND HOW DEVASTATING THAT CAN BE. >> DIRECTOR RAJENDRA MAHARAJ CENTERED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PLACE ON THE PRODUCTION. >> WE’RE RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO FERGUS -- FERGUSON. >> ST. LOUIS HASN’T FORGOTTEN THE 2014 POLICE KILLING OF MIKE BROWN OR THE EMERGENCE OF BLACK LIVES MATTER ACTIVISM HERE >> WE ARE NOT JUST MAKING PIECES OF WORK FOR THE PATRONS OF THE OPERA. WE ARE BRINGING COMMUNITY HOPEFULLY FROM FERGUSON, FROM OTHER PARTS OF ST LOUIS AND OTHER NEARBY TOWNS AND JUST, CONNECTING THEM. ♪ >> CONNECTING THOSE AUDIENCES TO STORIES THAT DESERVE TO BE HEARD. AS THE CURTAIN DRAWS ON A NEW ACT. FOR MATTER OF FACT, I’M JOIE CHEN IN ST LOUIS. SOLEDAD: THE OPERA THEATER OF ST. LOUIS PLANS TO PREMIERE A TOTAL