Founded in 1963, Seattle Opera is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. The company is recognized internationally for the quality of its productions, supportive and nurturing environment for singers and artists, and is especially known for its productions of the Wagner operas, having created an “international attraction” in its past presentations of Wagner’s epic Ring, according to The New York Times.
While under the direction of its founding General Director Glynn Ross, Seattle Opera’s noteworthy accomplishments included presenting the 1970 world premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s opera Of Mice and Men, the 1971 first fully staged production of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, and the 1972 world premiere of [...]
Founded in 1963, Seattle Opera is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. The company is recognized internationally for the quality of its productions, supportive and nurturing environment for singers and artists, and is especially known for its productions of the Wagner operas, having created an “international attraction” in its past presentations of Wagner’s epic Ring, according to The New York Times.
While under the direction of its founding General Director Glynn Ross, Seattle Opera’s noteworthy accomplishments included presenting the 1970 world premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s opera Of Mice and Men, the 1971 first fully staged production of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, and the 1972 world premiere of Pasatieri’s Black Widow. Artists such as Beverly Sills, Joan Sutherland, Franco Corelli, and James McCracken regularly sang at Seattle Opera in its first decade. In 1975, Seattle Opera gave its first complete cycle of Wagner’s Ring in one week, an event that had not happened in the United States since 1939 (and unique outside of New York). This Ring was produced twice each summer, once in German and once in Andrew Porter’s English singing translation, for nine consecutive seasons until 1984.
Seattle Opera has a long history of training young singers. Today’s programs involve several youth-training programs—from youth opera choruses to advanced vocal ensembles and a vocal studio for those aiming to study voice in college. Past training programs included Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program, which ran from 1998 to 2013, and the International Wagner Competition, hosted in 2006, 2008, and 2014.
The company is committed to advancing the cultural life in the Pacific Northwest with performances of the highest caliber, and through innovative education and community programs that take opera far beyond the McCaw Hall stage. Each year, more than 80,000 people attend Seattle Opera performances and the company’s programs serve more than 400,000 people of all ages (including school performances, radio broadcasts, and community engagement initiatives).
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