Share

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.

Read together and sing together at this interactive musical storytime. Opera Time supports language, literacy, and socio-emotional development for children ages 2–5. Children and their parents/guardian move through a progressive curriculum that explores opera and the arts through songs, stories, and creative play.

Get to know the many sides of the audience-favorite and beloved opera, Georges Bizet's Carmen, led by dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Plus, when you register for this seminar, you will automatically be included in a one-night-only lecture by conductor Ludovic Morlot about Bizet on May 5. Before the final week’s discussion, participants will attend Seattle Opera’s spring production of Carmen (not necessarily together). The class will consist of five in-person meetings, one live opera performance, and reading, listening, and viewing assignments

Fresh off his “captivating” (Bachtrack) performance as Loge in our 2023 Das Rheingold, Freddie Ballentine (Das Rheingold ’23, Charlie Parker’s Yardbird ’20, Carmen ’19) returns to Seattle Opera for a one-night-only concert. One of America’s leading tenors and the 2021 winner of the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award, Ballentine has rocketed to the top stages of the world with performances at the Metropolitan Opera, English National Opera, and Washington National Opera this year alone.

Giacomo Puccini’s melodrama returns to the McCaw Hall stage in a classic production that “has just about everything: great tunes, desperate lovers, loads of action, and a bad guy you’re going to love to hate” (The Seattle Times). Two lovers are thwarted by the power-hungry Scarpia while the fiery prima donna Tosca is pushed past sanity when her only hope for freedom means submitting to the evil Baron’s lecherous desires.

Kenzie is a fifth grader with a vivid imagination and a taste for adventure. But when her home is threatened, sending her to a family shelter with her mother, her world is thrown into a newfound state of uncertainty. Faced with unwelcome questions at school, Kenzie yearns to disappear into her favorite video game—a world where the possibilities are endless and her only concern is wrangling space-kittens—but her asthma reminds her that life isn’t all starships and spacesuits. To find her home, Kenzie first has to face her fears—and realize that she’s not alone after all. This one-act opera explores themes of empathy and finding strength despite adversity. The fully staged and costumed opera is performed with professional singers and live piano accompaniment.

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.

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.

One of the world's most popular operas ever! The irresistible Carmen captivates the eyes of every man she meets, including the lovesick soldier Don José. As he forsakes his military duty, his fiancée, and the law, his admiration becomes uncontrollable obsession and Carmen leaves him for prestige and freedom. Bizet's famous music accompanies a lethal dance of lust, love, and survival that only stops when the struggle for freedom ends.