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