Explore the 1984/85 Tannhäuser Program!
Speight remembers how the “Green” RING began its life.
Listen to Asher Fisch conduct overwhelming music from the first show in McCaw Hall!
The first time the world ended at Seattle Opera!
Explore the 1980/81 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s resident tenor in the ’70s!
The Making of the Ring
The last summer for Ring 1!
Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s founding General Director!
A serenade gone hilariously wrong!
Explore the 1987 Ring Program!
From the 2009 Ring cycle performances
The award-winning performance in the first opera in the renovated McCaw Hall.
Speight gets the swan just the way he likes it!
Hear the voice of Seattle’s original Ur-Mutter.
Hear Asher Fisch conduct the TRISTAN Prelude!
Explore the program for our Summer 1981 Wagner festival, featuring the Ring and Tristan and Isolde.
Speight remembers how supertitles came to Seattle Opera.
Revival of the 1994 production directed by Stephen Wadsworth.
Speight finds a new Siegfried–with two days notice!
Explore the 1974/75 Ring Program!
Hear the bass who was with us from before the beginning.
Three-minute complilation of footage from the final dress rehearsal of 2009’s DAS RHEINGOLD.
Speight remembers when the “Shiite Wagnerites” demanded his head.
Explore the 1986 Ring Program!
From the 2009 Ring
Glynn Ross begins introducing his favorite opera tetralogy to Seattle.
Hear the bass-baritone who often sang Wotan in Seattle in the ’80s.
“Ride of the Valkyries” — sung in English!
Explore the 2007/08 Flying Dutchman Program!
Watch Director’s Talk Video with Peter Kazaras
Hear the voice of Seattle Opera’s first Music and Education Director!
By 1980, Seattle’s Ring was a well-known west coast cultural phenomenon.
The making of the Ring
Hear the voice of Noel Tyl, one of our first Wotans.
Listen to excerpts from Seattle Opera’s English-language RINGS!
Hear two of the great Wagner voices of our time, at the peak of their powers.
Explore the 1995 Ring Program!
The “Green” Ring looked better than ever this summer.
Explore the 1983 Ring Program!
Leonie Rysanek’s unforgettable Seattle appearance!
Explore the 2000/01 Das Rheingold, Die Walküre Program!
The most familiar music from Wagner’s RING!
Pete Olds’ quick-thinking saves the day.
Duesing implores the Evening Star to bear his love to the lady of his heart.
Excerpt from The Journal of the Wagner Society of Northern California
Explore the 1998/99 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Wagner’s mighty epic performed for–and by!–kids all over Washington State.
Greer Grimsley’s first Wagner opera—complete with giant animatronic swan!
Explore the 2005 Ring Program!
Edward Sooter made a great addition to our Ring cast at its fifth consecutive summer.
A new Brünnhilde headlined our second complete cycle.
Explore the 2013 Ring Program!
Our first RING in McCaw Hall–and Greer Grimsley’s first Wotan.
Wagner News: “An opera experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
How the first go-around of “Ring 2” had some strengths and some weaknesses.
A complete list of Wagner performances in Seattle.
Watch a Video Excerpt
From the book, “Classical Music in America”
The orchestra mourns the death of a fallen hero.
Hear the SIEGFRIED Riddle Scene–in English!
Seattle Opera’s only production to date of Wagner’s sunny comedy.
Listen to a clip from Perry Lorenzo’s famous RING lectures!
Explore the 1994/95 Lohengrin Program!
Speight’s story of saving his first-ever RING from disaster.
The first Ring performed complete within a week in the U.S. in a generation.
Speight remembers how Nuremberg came to Seattle.
The unforgettable opera that opened McCaw Hall!
The final cycle produced by Glynn Ross.
Explore the 2001 Ring Program!
Simon Estes was a strong Hagen, and Ute Vinzing joined our Ring for the first time as Brünnhilde.
“Gloomy captain, go on land; seek a faithful woman’s hand! Another seven years rush by; another woman soon must die.”
R. M. Campbell’s obituary recaps the remarkable career of Glynn Ross.
Explore the 1985/86 Die Walküre Program!
Watch clips from our imaginative second production of Wagner’s Ring.
Explore the 1971/72 Flying Dutchman Program!
Explore the 1973/74 Siegfried Program!
The first Wagner production at Seattle Opera!
Speight remembers consecrating McCaw Hall with Wagner’s most Wagnerian opera.
The great Viennese soprano’s only Seattle appearance!
Speight remembers his first great success with the RING.
Speight: “A remarkably easy RING!”
The final outing of Ring 2 was a great success, artistically—and financially!
Explore the 1977 Ring Program.
Wagner’s rollicking sea yarn came to Seattle with a famous cast.
Explore the 1972/73 Die Walküre Program!
Speight’s dreams come true with a match made in operatic heaven.
Explore the 2003/04 Parsifal Program!
It’s love at first sight (and hearing!) when Seattle Opera meets Richard Wagner.
Hear the great Canadian tenor sing one of his most gorgeous roles.
This preview of our third RING production featured the first two operas in the cycle, presented in full one year later.
Hear Archie Drake sing Gunther–in English!
Explore the 1978 Ring Program!
Explore the 1979 Ring Program!
Part one of our series previewing 2009 RING Cycle focused on the artists involved and their rehearsal process.
Perhaps the wildest animal ever to appear on our stage…
The first complete presentation of the imaginative Rochaix/Israel Ring 2.
A 1982 article about Glynn Ross and Seattle’s Ring.
Explore the 2010/11 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Hear Seattle’s first malevolent Lord of the Ring.
Explore the 1988/89 Flying Dutchman Program!
For Seattle Opera’s only production of this masterpiece, we projected titles above the stage for the first time.
Watch Video: Music with Maestro Asher Fisch
Johanna Meier and Alberto Remedios joined our cast this summer.
One of our favorite baritones sings Alberich’s curse.
Speight finds a new Siegfried–after the final dress rehearsal!
Our first production of Wagner’s great song of love and death.
Explore the 1976 Ring Program!
Hear the winners of our International Wagner Competitions!
The moment when the difference between Speight Jenkins and Glynn Ross became apparent!
A game of musical chairs ensued when several Ring singers switched parts.
Explore the 1989/90 Master-Singers of Nuremberg Program!
Explore the 1980 Ring Program!
Explore the 2009 Ring Program!
Speight learns to listen to young people at final dress rehearsals.
Explore the 2004/05 Lohengrin Program!
Explore the 1982 Ring Program!
Explore the 1984 Ring Program!
A cast substitution with unexpected results.
RING 2 achieved widespread acceptance this summer, and the number of performances increased to three.
A second Ring opera is added to Seattle’s repertory.
Listen to the voice of Seattle’s reigning king of the gods.
A new Siegfried added to the excitement of Seattle Opera’s most ambitious summer program yet.
Hear the mezzo who was Seattle’s original Queen of the Gods.
The once-controversial “Ring 2” finally earns complete acceptance.
From 2009 Ring cycle performances.
Explore the 1991 Ring Program!
The first full performance of Seattle Opera’s beloved “Green” Ring.
Explore the 1974/75 Gotterdammerung Program!
