Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s founding General Director!
Excerpt from The Journal of the Wagner Society of Northern California
Remarks from the award ceremony
How Glynn Ross organized the two casts necessary for presenting opera in Seattle.
Glynn Ross’s third and final Turandot–a production worthy of an MGM Bible epic spectacular!
R. M. Campbell’s obituary recaps the remarkable career of Glynn Ross.
A 1982 article about Glynn Ross and Seattle’s Ring.
Glynn Ross comissioned a new Pasatieri chamber opera for a church in Medina.
The final cycle produced by Glynn Ross.
Glynn Ross begins introducing his favorite opera tetralogy to Seattle.
Meet the invaluable volunteers who help visiting artists live in Seattle.
The twin casts of Speight Jenkins’ Seattle Opera.
History of our costume shop!
Seattle Opera goes psychedelic!
The world’s first ‘rock opera’ was Bette Midler’s only Seattle Opera appearance!
Listen to Corelli’s stunning “Ah, lève-toi soleil!”
Hear an astonishing “Si, pel ciel” from a great American tenor!
Listen to Sutherland and Tourangeau sing the famous “Lakmé” Flower Duet!
Jerome Hines sang his greatest role in Seattle.
The unforgettable Seattle debut of Franco Corelli!
Hear the bass who was with us from before the beginning.
Hear Seattle’s first malevolent Lord of the Ring.
A cast substitution with unexpected results.
Hear the mezzo who was Seattle’s original Queen of the Gods.
Performed on an impressive “junk sculpture” set designed by a Jesuit priest, Father L.E. Lubbers.
The only Seattle Opera appearance of powerhouse bass Cesare Siepi.
The first contemporary opera presented by Seattle Opera.
Beverly Sills’ only Mimì!
Italian baritone Matteo Manuguerra shines in Seattle Opera’s second staging of Rigoletto.
Starring Seattle Opera’s first African-American singer!
From the book, “Classical Music in America”
The announcement of Seattle Opera’s third General Director.
as told by Hans Lehmann
as told by composer Carlisle Floyd
as told by Julian Patrick
Seattle Opera’s first season!
Our first production of Wagner’s great song of love and death.
A 2001 interview with Archie Drake, by Jonathan Dean.
The first Ring performed complete within a week in the U.S. in a generation.
The first Wagner production at Seattle Opera!
The first Seattle Opera appearance of the appealing Mary Costa.
Listen to excerpts from Seattle Opera’s English-language RINGS!
The Seattle Opera debut of Julian Patrick!
A Met tour of a beloved opera.
Seattle Opera’s first Traviata wasn’t ours at all—it came from the Met.
A precursor of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program.
Opera education and outreach, ’70s-style!
350 schoolchildren starred in a Seattle Opera production in 1973!
A pioneer opera education program, which later became a model for programs nationwide.
A favorite young composer of ours in the 1970s!
Seattle’s first French-language opera production!
Starring husband-and-wife James McCracken & Sandra Warfield!
Joan Sutherland returned to Seattle as Donna Anna.
Klara Barlow was Seattle’s first necrophilic nymphomaniac princess.
Our first production directed, designed, and built entirely in-house!
Starring Norman Treigle as the devil!
Carol Neblett made her debut as Puccini’s coquette.
Fiorenza Cossotto stole the show with “O don fatale.”
Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s first Music and Education Director!
Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s resident tenor in the ’70s!
Seattle Opera’s only production of Tchaikovsky’s Pushkin-inspired tragedy.
Joan Sutherland in a Massenet rarity—also starring the young James Morris!
The return of this great American work, first performed in Seattle in 1970.
Romanian soprano Mariana Nicolesco was a beautiful Violetta.
Polish soprano Zdizislawa Donat was a memorable Lucia.
Korean soprano Sung-Sook Lee was Seattle Opera’s second Butterfly.
A multi-national cast brought Verdi’s tuneful melodrama to Seattle.
Seattle Opera’s first production of Puccini’s beloved tragedy.
Dorothy Kirsten’s Seattle appearance.
Our second production of Puccini’s perennially popular tragedy.
Archie Drake’s first outing as Benoit/Alcindoro–a role he owned for decades at Seattle Opera.
A seductive production of Carmen that had it all.
A fantastic cast brings Bizet’s stunning opera alive.
A 1978 production of Bizet’s thrilling opera.
The first performance of Bizet’s classic tale in Seattle Opera history!
Seattle Opera opens its doors with Rigoletto.
A splendid production of Verdi’s masterpiece–complete with live horses!
An Aida featuring several RING singers.
Starring Kaaren Erickson as Susanna.
Starring June Anderson as Rosina!
Seattle Opera’s only production of this tuneful comedy.
Sir Geraint Evans returns!
Seattle Opera’s first production of Mozart’s great fairy-tale.
Seattle Opera’s first production of Verdi’s comic Shakespearean masterpiece.
Cinderella comes to Seattle Opera for the first time.
A huge cast assembled for Strauss’s great comedy.
A lively production of Rossini’s great comedy.
Seattle Opera’s first-ever performance of Mozart’s intriguing comedy.
Anna Moffo’s Seattle Opera appearance!
Our only performance of this charming operetta.
Régine Crespin’s Seattle Opera appearance!
Seattle’s first completely comic opera!
Jon Vickers as Britten’s tragic fisherman misfit.
with Glenn Ross in 1970
The world’s favorite operetta, starring several popular television stars of the day.
Beverly Sills sang Lucia in Seattle.
Thomas Pasatieri’s opera based on the Checkov play.
World Premiere of a new Pasatieri opera!
A sexy devil bewitched Seattle Opera in 1974.
Seattle Opera’s first original commissioned work.
A great star, but a compromised performance!
Joan Sutherland wowed the opera-goers of Seattle in 1970 by singing all three ladies in “The Tales of Hoffmann.”
Giovanni Martinelli’s one Seattle Opera appearance!
Joan Sutherland’s Seattle debut!
Nilsson as the Ice Princess.
Franco Corelli at Seattle Opera.
James McCracken brought down the house!
Roberta Peters was Seattle Opera’s first Lucia.
Sherrill Milnes’s Seattle Opera debut!
The fledgling company’s first production.
Hear the voice of Noel Tyl, one of our first Wotans.
Hear the SIEGFRIED Riddle Scene–in English!
Hear Archie Drake sing Gunther–in English!
A game of musical chairs ensued when several Ring singers switched parts.
A new Siegfried added to the excitement of Seattle Opera’s most ambitious summer program yet.
By 1980, Seattle’s Ring was a well-known west coast cultural phenomenon.
Edward Sooter made a great addition to our Ring cast at its fifth consecutive summer.
Johanna Meier and Alberto Remedios joined our cast this summer.
Simon Estes was a strong Hagen, and Ute Vinzing joined our Ring for the first time as Brünnhilde.
A new Brünnhilde headlined our second complete cycle.
The first time the world ended at Seattle Opera!
A second Ring opera is added to Seattle’s repertory.
Wagner’s rollicking sea yarn came to Seattle with a famous cast.
It’s love at first sight (and hearing!) when Seattle Opera meets Richard Wagner.
Hear the voice of Seattle’s original Ur-Mutter.
“Ride of the Valkyries” — sung in English!
Hear Archie Drake in this thrilling American premiere.
Explore the 1969/70 Turandot Program!
Explore the 1966/67 Lakme Program!
Explore the 1966/67 Turandot Program!
Explore the 1966/67 The Barber of Seville Program!
Explore the 1965/66 Il trovatore Program!
Explore the 1965/66 Lohengrin Program!
Explore the 1965/66 Samson and Delilah Program!
Explore the 1965/66 La Boheme Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Boris Godunov Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Rigoletto Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Faust Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Lucia di Lammermoor Program!