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In this six-part beginner’s guide series, join Associate Director of Community Engagement Lokela Alexander Minami for lively and informative multimedia presentations that will help you make sense of this larger-than-life art form by giving you some essential terms and taking you on a listening tour of some of the most popular operas in the repertoire. Drawing on Seattle Opera’s extensive audio and photo archive, this series will introduce you to some of the most beloved composers from opera history, including Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner, and Puccini, whose classic works you are sure to encounter again and again on any opera stage. You will also discover the rich, living, and continuously evolving tradition of opera today, and by the end of the series, you will be well on your way to becoming an opera aficionado.

Ahoy mateys! Get ready for opera on the high seas with Gilbert and Sullivan's popular piratical comedy. The story begins as young Frederic is due to be released from his accidental apprenticeship to a band of pirates; he dreams of living an honorable life dedicated to love. However, a leap year loophole puts his freedom on the line. When the very modern Major-General's doting daughters arrive, hearts are promised, vows are made, and eventually pirates are pardoned in this light-hearted comedy. Making its Seattle Opera debut, this production of the family-friendly farce comes to Seattle following rave reviews at The Glimmerglass Festival, The Atlanta Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Featuring an exciting cast of operatic talent and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, you'll be thrilled with rapid-fire lyrics and toe-tapping tunes.

Get to know contemporary opera in a class led by dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Spanning a large range of topics and musical styles, this class will help participants deepen their knowledge of the astonishing recent surge of operatic creativity.

Join us for tongue-twisting patter, light-hearted love songs, and more! Celebrate the wit and whimsy of Gilbert and Sullivan (plus more favorites from their American cousins!) in an evening of comedy and toe-tapping tunes, including favorites from titles like The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, and The Gondoliers.

Grammy Award-winning soprano Patricia Racette performs songs of famous French cabaret singer Édith Piaf. Joined by pianist and arranger Craig Terry, this "unforgettable evening concert" (The Daily Californian) offers a sensuous program of love and heartbreak with tunes like "La Vie en rose," "Hymne à l'amour," and many more.

Celebrate the holidays with the one and only Anita Spritzer! Hosted by tenor John Marzano (Pagliacci '24; Divo to Diva: Anita Spritzer in Recital '24; BRAVO! Halloween Party '24, '23; Alcina '23) as his drag persona Anita Spritzer, get ready to don your gayest apparel and join one of Seattle's favorite drag queens as she sings holiday favorites and celebrates the glitter and glitz of the festive winter season.

From queer composers such as Britten and Tchaikovsky, to gender-expansive traditions in opera and queer interpretations of traditional operas, learn more about the long-standing role of queerness in opera both historically and today.

A "mix of mythological drama and pastoral romance" (The New York Times). Daphne finds romance in the beauty and celebration of nature, not in the arms of men. When two suitors vie for her heart, Apollo aims his arrow and Daphne mourns the loss of a childhood friend. To ease her grief, Zeus grants her wish to become one with nature, allowing her to transform into one of her beloved laurel trees. This seldom-heard pastoral opera is "Strauss at his most ingenious" (The New York Times) and features thrilling, opulent orchestrations, including the celebrated "metamorphosis" scene concluding the opera. With members of the Seattle Symphony, Daphne is perfect for a concert presentation.

Celebrate Pride at the Opera Center with a recital featuring members of the Fellow Travelers cast. Curated by conductor Patrick Summers, artists will perform a wide range of selections from past and present that honor and celebrate the queer and LGBTQIA+ community of Seattle.

Recent college graduate Timothy Laughlin arrives in 1950s Washington, D.C., ready to join the fight against Communism. A chance encounter with the handsome State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, results in Tim's first job and his first romantic relationship with a man. As Tim struggles to reconcile his newfound love with his political, personal, and religious beliefs, Hawkins comes under the watchful eye of McCarthyism and faces charges that could cost him his job and his freedom. Both men must make impossible choices as they struggle to survive the Lavender Scare.