Explore the 1988/89 Werther Program!
Explore the 1980/81 Tales of Hoffmann Program!
Explore the 1981/82 Abduction from the Seraglio Program!
The Seattle debut of Carol Vaness, a favorite soprano of the Seattle audience.
This cast of singers play Puccini’s bohemians in the classic tale of young love and despair.
Gershwin’s fan favorite comes to life for the first time on the Seattle Opera stage.
Explore the 1982/83 Barber of Seville Program!
Starring Dale Duesing as Eisenstein!
Maurice Sendak’s beautiful production of Mozart’s fairy-tale.
Explore the 1979/80 La Traviata Program!
The last summer for Ring 1!
Seattle Opera’s only production of this tuneful comedy.
Sir Geraint Evans returns!
Explore the 1983/84 Elektra Program!
Explore the 1982 Ring Program!
Explore the 1986 Ring Program!
A serenade gone hilariously wrong!
Starring the young Carol Vaness as Desdemona.
Explore the 1980/81 Manon Lescaut Program!
Mozart’s beloved comedy performed by an adorable young cast.
Explore the 1987/88 Rigoletto Program!
Hear the great Canadian tenor sing one of his most gorgeous roles.
Explore the 1981/82 Rigoletto Program!
Explore the 1980/81 Don Pasquale Program!
Starring June Anderson as Rosina!
The only Seattle Opera appearance of powerhouse bass Cesare Siepi.
Donizetti’s charming comedy about a magic bottle of wine.
Barbara Daniels impresses in this production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.
A seductive production of Carmen that had it all.
Explore the 1985/86 Eugene Onegin Program!
Explore the 1981/82 Turandot Program!
Explore the 1988/89 Flying Dutchman Program!
One of the more successful productions from Speight Jenkins’ first season.
Explore the 1986/87 Don Pasquale Program!
Our powerful first production of this Gluck masterwork.
Despair, madness, and revenge fill the stage in Donizetti’s classic Lucia di Lammermoor.
Explore the 1985/86 Manon Program!
Glynn Ross’s third and final Turandot–a production worthy of an MGM Bible epic spectacular!
Mozart’s problem comedy—with a time machine!
The final cycle produced by Glynn Ross.
Explore the 1982/83 Peter Grimes Program!
A new Siegfried added to the excitement of Seattle Opera’s most ambitious summer program yet.
Leonie Rysanek’s unforgettable Seattle appearance!
Speight remembers his first great success with the RING.
Carol Neblett made her debut as Puccini’s coquette.
Bizet’s sexy gypsy returns to the main stage!
Speight’s story of saving his first-ever RING from disaster.
Explore the 1979/80 Lucia di Lammermoor Program!
Speight remembers when the “Shiite Wagnerites” demanded his head.
Rigoletto continues to be a fan favorite with this luxurious 1982 production.
Jon Vickers as Britten’s tragic fisherman misfit.
Explore the 1982/82 Il Trovatore Program!
Explore the 1981/82 Die Fledermaus Program!
Seattle Opera’s only production of Tchaikovsky’s Pushkin-inspired tragedy.
The first complete presentation of the imaginative Rochaix/Israel Ring 2.
The great Viennese soprano’s only Seattle appearance!
Explore the 1987/88 Magic FluteM Program!
A beautiful Renaissance-era production of the Verdi classic.
Explore the 1989/90 Il Trovatore Program!
Explore the 1989/90 Daughter of the Regiment Program!
Janice Yoes, then Seattle’s Brünnhilde, took on the fearsome title role.
A starry production of Verdi’s great melodrama.
A game of musical chairs ensued when several Ring singers switched parts.
Explore the 1987/88 Carmen Program!
Perhaps the wildest animal ever to appear on our stage…
Explore the 1989/90 The Tales of Hoffmann Program!
Explore the 1979/80 Fidelio Program!
Explore the 1988/89 Madama Butterfly Program!
Explore the program for our Summer 1981 Wagner festival, featuring the Ring and Tristan and Isolde.
Explore the 1984/85 Elixir of Love Program!
Explore the 1982/83 Girl of the Golden West Program!
Back on the mainstage, Verdi’s Il Trovatore impresses again.
Explore the 1989/90 Marriage of Figaro Program!
Explore the 1980/81 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Explore the 1985/86 Lucia di Lammermoor Program!
Starring Kaaren Erickson as Susanna.
Seattle Opera’s only production to date of Wagner’s sunny comedy.
A splendid production of Verdi’s masterpiece–complete with live horses!
Carol Vaness takes on the role of Violetta in Verdi’s classic.
For Seattle Opera’s only production of this masterpiece, we projected titles above the stage for the first time.
Speight learns to listen to young people at final dress rehearsals.
Philip Glass’s minimalist opera about nonviolent resistance.
Explore the 1984 Ring Program!
Ashley Putnam took on all three heroines in this production of Offenbach’s masterpiece.
Starring Seattle’s Siegfried and Brünnhilde, Herbert Becker and Ute Vinzing.
Explore the 1982/83 Carmen Program!
Explore the 1983/84 Force of Destiny Program!
Our first production of Wagner’s great song of love and death.
Explore the 1987 Ring Program!
Explore the 1983/84 La Sonnambula Program!
Romanian soprano Mariana Nicolesco was a beautiful Violetta.
Explore the 1980 Ring Program!
Explore the 1984/85 Jenufa Program!
Speight remembers how supertitles came to Seattle Opera.
How the first go-around of “Ring 2” had some strengths and some weaknesses.
By 1980, Seattle’s Ring was a well-known west coast cultural phenomenon.
Explore the 1987/88 Orpheus and Eurydice Program!
Explore the 1983/84 Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliaci Program!
Explore the 1987/88 Die Fledermaus Program!
Explore the 1989/90 Master-Singers of Nuremberg Program!
Explore the 1981/82 Madama Butterfly Program!
Famed translator and music critic Andrew Porter made his directorial debut.
Explore the 1986/87 Otello Program!
Explore the 1979/80 Queen of Spades Program!
Explore the 1979/80 Faust Program!
Explore the 1988/89 La Traviata Program!
Seattle favorite Dale Duesing starred in the ‘baritone’ version of Massenet’s tragedy.
Duesing implores the Evening Star to bear his love to the lady of his heart.
Explore the 1985/86 Salome Program!
Pete Olds’ quick-thinking saves the day.
Donizetti’s cautionary tale about an old man with a young wife.
Josephine Barstow was “a soprano of pantherlike grace and searing intensity.”
Explore the 1986/87 Tosca Program!
Starring Dale Duesing, Peter Kazaras, Judith Haddon, and Geri Decker.
The world’s favorite operetta, starring several popular television stars of the day.
Featuring the Seattle Opera debuts of Stephen Wadsworth and Peter Kazaras!
Explore the 1984/85 Tannhäuser Program!
Explore the 1984/85 La Boheme Program!
Explore the 1980/81 Aida Program!
Explore the 1988/89 Romeo and Juliet Program!
Speight remembers how Nuremberg came to Seattle.
The moment when the difference between Speight Jenkins and Glynn Ross became apparent!
“Gold is a Fine Thing” and many more celebrated arias can be found in this American opera.
Explore the 1985/86 Cosi fan tutte Program!
Francesca Zambello’s production boasted “theatrical virtues equaled only by a vintage MGM spectacular.”
Explore the 1984/85 Ballad of Baby Doe Program!
Explore the 1986/87 Faust Program!
Explore the 1983/84 Marriage of Figaro Program!
Explore the 1986/87 Porgy and Bess Program!
Hear the voice of Seattle’s original Ur-Mutter.
Hear the bass-baritone who often sang Wotan in Seattle in the ’80s.
Vinson Cole and Kathryn Gameroni were affectingly romantic as the star-crossed lovers.
Explore the 1988/89 Satyagraha Program!
Explore the 1985/86 Die Walküre Program!
Explore the 1983 Ring Program!
Watch clips from our imaginative second production of Wagner’s Ring.
Puccini’s classic Tosca returns with Ghena Dimitrova.