Joan Sutherland returned to Seattle as Donna Anna.
Wagner News: “An opera experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
Explore the 1982/83 Peter Grimes Program!
Franco Corelli at Seattle Opera.
Peter Kazaras’ lively staging featured Mariusz Kwiecien heading up a colorful cast of characters.
Wagner’s rollicking sea yarn came to Seattle with a famous cast.
This innovative new production turned the stage into a library desktop, complete with giant books, ink wells, and feather pens.
Explore the 1980/81 Aida Program!
Explore the 2003/04 Parsifal Program!
A lively production of Rossini’s great comedy.
Speight finds a new Siegfried–with two days notice!
Explore the 1968/69 Andrea Chenier Program!
The first full performance of Seattle Opera’s beloved “Green” Ring.
“Gloomy captain, go on land; seek a faithful woman’s hand! Another seven years rush by; another woman soon must die.”
Explore the 2004/05 Lohengrin Program!
Starring future Artist-of-the-Year winners Lawrence Brownlee and Mary Elizabeth Williams!
Chris Alexander’s first award-winning production.
Speight remembers his first great success with the RING.
Hear the German soprano who triumphed at Seattle Opera recently in Fidelio.
Explore the 2007/08 Flying Dutchman Program!
The ultimate tale of obsession unfolds in Bizet’s Carmen.
Watch clips from Seattle Opera’s monumental production from the Goodwill Games!
A lovesick girl sings rhapsodies about a fantasy of the man she adores.
Explore the 1965/66 La Boheme Program!
Speight gets the swan just the way he likes it!
Hear the great Canadian tenor sing one of his most gorgeous roles.
One of our favorite baritones sings Alberich’s curse.
Giovanni Martinelli’s one Seattle Opera appearance!
Explore the 1981/82 Die Fledermaus Program!
Listen to some of the silliest music in all opera!
Explore the 1972/73 La Traviata Program!
as told by Hans Lehmann
Patricia Racette starred in this heart-breakingly beautiful production.
Explore the 1990/91 Rusalka Program!
Explore the 2006/07 Don Giovanni Program!
A double-cast production: soprano Sarah Coburn performed Rosina one and mezzo Kate Lindsey in the other!
Verdi’s most ambitious opera came thrillingly to life in this spectacular production.
Erich Parce makes his Seattle Opera debut.
None who were there will ever forget Jane Eaglen’s stunning Seattle Opera debut!
A wholly Shakespearean production of Verdi’s great comedy.
Our unforgettable War and Peace celebrated the end of the Cold War.
Explore the 2005 Ring Program!
Speight remembers how the “Green” RING began its life.
Listen to the voice of Seattle’s reigning king of the gods.
The climax of Don Magnifico’s ridiculous “dream” aria.
Polish barihunk Mariusz Kwiecien triumphed as Mozart’s seductive bad boy.
Nilsson as the Ice Princess.
Jon Vickers as Britten’s tragic fisherman misfit.
John Relyea’s unforgettable “Hoffmann” villains!
Beloved mezzo Frederica von Stade’s only Seattle Opera appearance!
Explore the 1978/79 Don Giovanni Program!
William Burden as Orphée implores the Furies to return his Eurydice to him.
Leonie Rysanek’s unforgettable Seattle appearance!
Seattle Opera’s only production to date of Wagner’s sunny comedy.
A rootin’, tootin’ barn-burner of a western with a strong Puccini cast.
Local favorites Vinson Cole, Sally Wolf, and Dale Duesing took on Puccini’s bohemians.
Explore the 2010/11 Don Quichotte Program!
Our first RING in McCaw Hall–and Greer Grimsley’s first Wotan.
Sherrill Milnes’s Seattle Opera debut!
Three of Seattle’s favorite superstar singers braved the Nisqually earthquake during the run of this Puccini thriller.
Explore the 2001 Ring Program!
Explore the 1995/96 Andrea Chenier Program!
Explore the 1984/85 Ballad of Baby Doe Program!
Renée Fleming’s debut as Dvořák’s little mermaid.
Explore the 1970/71 Tales of Hoffmann Program!
Images highlighting 1991’s Anna Bolena
This romantic French opera features the popular “Flower Duet” and the “Bell Song,” beloved of coloraturas of yesteryear.
Joan Sutherland’s Seattle debut!
Two of opera’s darkest characters blend their voices.
This colorful and imaginative production will return in May 2014.
The world’s first ‘rock opera’ was Bette Midler’s only Seattle Opera appearance!
Hear two of the great Wagner voices of our time, at the peak of their powers.
Explore the 2007/08 I Puritani Program!
Hear opera’s ultimate tenor-baritone duet.
Peter Kazaras directs Rossini’s popular comedy!
Seven magic bullets consecrated to the devil wreak havoc in this, the original German Romantic opera.
Hear the luscious voice of a great mezzo singing the role she created.
Speight: “A remarkably easy RING!”
Patricia Racette in her Seattle debut.
Explore the 1990/91 Anna Bolena Program!
Explore the 1973/74 Gianni Schicchi, Pagliacci Program!
Dorothy Kirsten’s Seattle appearance.
Explore the 2009/10 Amelia Program!
This preview of our third RING production featured the first two operas in the cycle, presented in full one year later.
Two spectacular voices, early in their careers, brought an unknown masterpiece to Seattle.
The second Seattle Opera staging of Verdi’s final opera was directed by Shakespearean veteran Chris Alexander.
Régine Crespin’s Seattle Opera appearance!
Anna Moffo’s Seattle Opera appearance!
The Seattle Opera debut of Julian Patrick!
The award-winning performance in the first opera in the renovated McCaw Hall.
Explore this beloved cast, full of beautiful voices and frequent Seattle Opera artists.
A unique revival in which the alternating Rosinas were performed by different voice types.
Revival of the 1994 production directed by Stephen Wadsworth.
Listen to Corelli’s stunning “Ah, lève-toi soleil!”
Enter a frozen world ruled by a harsh ice princess–at your own risk!
Aleksandra Kurzak sings Lucia’s Mad Scene!
James McCracken brought down the house!
“I think this is getting too silly!”
Who says Wagner singers are no fun?
Explore the 1993/94 Norma Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Lucia di Lammermoor Program!
Explore the 1968/69 Der Rosenkavalier Program!
Beverly Sills sang Lucia in Seattle.
Hear Ewa Podles’s award-winning Adalgisa!
Hear an astonishing “Si, pel ciel” from a great American tenor!
Explore the 1966/67 Lakme Program!
Explore the 1967/68 Otello Program!
Bizet’s sexy gypsy returns to the main stage!
A starry production of Verdi’s great melodrama.
Fiorenza Cossotto stole the show with “O don fatale.”
Explore the 1987 Ring Program!
Listen to some of Verdi’s bubbliest music.
A serenade gone hilariously wrong!
Listen to Sutherland and Tourangeau sing the famous “Lakmé” Flower Duet!
A great star, but a compromised performance!
Greer Grimsley’s first Wagner opera—complete with giant animatronic swan!
Marius Kwiecien sings the Champagne Aria!
Seattle’s first completely comic opera!
Stephanie Blythe curses Verdi’s priests.
Seattle Opera’s first Traviata wasn’t ours at all—it came from the Met.
Joan Sutherland in a Massenet rarity—also starring the young James Morris!
The unforgettable opera that opened McCaw Hall!
A lovesick dope wins the help of his special lady with a magic love potion that’s really cheap red wine.
Starring Greer Grimsley as the Devil!
Listen to Sally Wolf’s award-winning LUCIA Mad Scene!
The career of an artist who gave much to Seattle Opera.
Explore the 1968/69 Tosca Program!
Explore the 1969/70 Turandot Program!
Explore the 1971/72 Lucia di Lammermoor Program!
Explore the 1994/95 Lohengrin Program!
New production featured a repurposed set from 2008’s “I PURITANI”.
Explore the 1965/66 Samson and Delilah Program!
Explore the 1987/88 Orpheus and Eurydice Program!
Hear the three great voices of the rescheduled Tosca after the earthquake.
Composed in 1996, this evocative production debuted in Seattle in 1998. It proved so popular it was revived only 7 years later.
Veteran Carol Vaness paired with emerging newcomer Jay Hunter Morris in this rarely presented Puccini tragedy.
Explore the 1964/65 Boris Godunov Program!
“Death with honor before life with dishonor!” A strong production of Puccini’s great tragedy.
Explore the 1966/67 The Barber of Seville Program!
“The jaws of hell gape wide and swallow all of creation” in some of Verdi’s most powerful music.
Our powerful first production of this Gluck masterwork.
Explore the 1971/72 Flying Dutchman Program!
One performance, one role, two tenors!
Explore the 1966/67 Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci Program!
Listen to highlights from Mozart’s perfect opera.
A penguin-crocodile, floating coloratura queen, and befeathered Nathan Gunn delighted audiences in this final production of the millenium.
Superstar tenor required! Ben Heppner was the first Andrea Chénier at Seattle Opera since Franco Corelli in 1968.
Sally Wolf won Artist of the Year this season for her extraordinary Lucia.
Check out the production which caused the first-ever Seattle Times opera-related phone-in poll!
A spectacular cast and walls that dripped blood made for a thrilling night of Verdi and Shakespeare.
Our liveliest production yet of this great comedy!
Seattle Opera’s only production of Tchaikovsky’s Pushkin-inspired tragedy.
Speight’s dreams come true with a match made in operatic heaven.
Explore the 2010/11 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Explore the 1964/65 Rigoletto Program!
A stylish, sexy production of what’s been called the ‘perfect’ opera.
Explore the 1998/99 Tristan and Isolde Program!
Young love triumphs over aged tyranny in this most popular of opera comedies.
Explore the 2009 Ring Program!
Mirth and madness from the master of operatic mayhem!
Explore the 1990/91 War and Peace Program!
Joan Sutherland wowed the opera-goers of Seattle in 1970 by singing all three ladies in “The Tales of Hoffmann.”
Listen to an amazing feat of bel canto virtuosity from one of our favorite tenors.
The great Viennese soprano’s only Seattle appearance!
Explore the 1978/79 Macbeth Program!
Seattle Opera’s first production of the show featuring opera’s most gorgeous tenor-baritone duet!
Hear the gorgeous trio from “Così fan tutte” sung by three of our favorite singers.
The stunning debut of one of our favorite sopranos!
Watch scenes from this beautiful opera by Mexican composer Daniel Catán!
Explore the 1989/90 Master-Singers of Nuremberg Program!
Explore the 1967/68 Don Giovanni Program!
Explore the 1967/68 Romeo and Juliet Program!
Starring Dale Duesing, Peter Kazaras, Judith Haddon, and Geri Decker.
Beverly Sills’ only Mimì!
When Stravinsky and Basil Rathbone appeared at Seattle Opera!
Roberta Peters was Seattle Opera’s first Lucia.
Starring Seattle Opera’s first African-American singer!
Hear the performance that won Ben Heppner’s the Artist-of-the-Year Award!
Explore the 1977/78 The King of Lahore Program!
Explore the 1965/66 Il trovatore Program!
Jane Eaglen stars in Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio 2002.
Renee Fleming made her Seattle Opera debut in one of her greatest roles.
Explore the 2000/01 Das Rheingold, Die Walküre Program!
The “Green” Ring looked better than ever this summer.
Seattle Opera’s beautiful world premiere from 2010.
A beautiful (and beautifully sung) production of one of the most Romantic French operas.
as told by Julian Patrick
Explore the 1971/72 A Masked Ball Program!
A minimalist new production directed by Peter Kazaras that was inspired in part from the Ambrose Bierce short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”