Aidan Lang News

In time for the New Year, Seattle Opera announced today that it has raised the highest steel beam, topping out its new $60 million civic home at Seattle Center. The four-story, 105,000 sq. ft. building will be a new arts anchor for the northeast corner of the Seattle Center campus.

Seattle Opera steams up McCaw Hall this winter with a comedy about sex: Mozart's Cos fan tutte! In this story, two sisters, Dorabella and Fiordiligi, are adored by their respective fianc s Ferrando and Guglielmo. But, when the two buddies decide to test the sisters' fidelity, the plot takes an unexpected turn: each man disguises himself and begins to woo the other's lover. Soon it becomes clear that everyone's feelings are much more complicated than any of them had thought.

Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang has appointed two new members of his executive team: Jane Repensek joins the company as Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer, and Doug Provost will serve asDirector of Production.

Start Halloween early by joining Seattle Opera for its Family Day presentation of The Barber of Seville. Everyone is invited to come in their costume for this Oct. 22 performance, where students age 18 and under get $15 tickets for almost any seat.* During intermission, see how many hair-raising styles you and your family can imagine. We'll get creative with arts and crafts as we draw, color, and cut out silly hairstyles!

Before trick-or-treating begins, start the fun this October with Seattle Opera's "riotously funny" (The Australian) The Barber of Seville. Following The Wicked Adventures of County Ory ('16), stage director Lindy Hume and Maestro Giacomo Sagripanti return to create yet another colorful, eye-catching production with toe-tapping melodies-including one of the most iconic overtures of all time. The performance also includes an appearance by Juilliard-trained burlesque sensation, Marc Kenison, who performs in Seattle and beyond as Waxie Moon. Kenison will bring his comedic and dance stylings to the highly physical role of Ambrogio.

In a time where those perceived as outsiders continue to face discrimination in the U.S., Seattle Opera presents an American story of justice denied. The forced removal of Japanese Americans during World War II is the subject of An American Dream, composed by Jack Perla with libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo.

With stylized sets inspired by Japanese theater and lush, colorful kimono worn by singers, Seattle Opera's grand production of Madame Butterfly coming this August may seem like business-as-usual. But there's a dramatic difference that sets this Butterfly apart: the broader conversation taking place on cultural appropriation, yellowface, and Asian American representation. While certainly not new to many Asian and Pacific Islanders, these conversations have permeated the Puget Sound theater scene for the past several years following a production of The Mikado that made national news.

Come one, come all: Bring the whole family and spend the afternoon at McCaw Hall for Seattle Opera's Summer Fest on July 15. Admission is free!

A new artistic collaboration between Seattle Opera and three partner organizations will result in a world-premiere inspired by the late Steve Jobs, visionary co-founder of Apple and Pixar. The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs will first play at Santa Fe Opera in July 2017 before coming to Seattle Opera for its west coast premiere during the 2018/19 season.

A menagerie of fantastical creatures, colors, and sounds awaits at Seattle Opera's The Magic Flutethis May. Prince Tamino and his comical sidekick Papageno set out to rescue The Queen of the Night's daughter. But their quest takes on unexpected turns as they soon realize not all is as it seems in this fairytale land.

Everyone is invited to Seattle Opera's 2017 Gala-Beyond the Stage. The black-tie event celebrates the fanciful artistry of The Magic Flute and serves as a pivotal fundraiser for the company's Education and Community Engagement programs.

This April, Seattle Opera invites you to experience an intimate, immersive performance of The Combat-a star-crossed love story between a Muslim warrior and the Christian knight she encounters in battle. GRAMMY-Award winning conductor Stephen Stubbs will lead singers and an early-music ensemble in a location usually only opera singers and stage directors get to see-the Seattle Opera rehearsal studios. Viewers will stand* for the 50-minute presentation, which is appropriate for all ages and offered without intermission. 

Next up at McCaw Hall is a piece that Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang calls the perfect first-time opera experience. Katya Kabanova, the story of a young woman longing to be free from an oppressive small town and her monstrous mother-in-law, is told through music that's as lush and gorgeous as it is highly emotional. 

Bring the whole family to see Cinderella en España-a universal rags-to-riches tale that explores the beauty of kindness and the ugliness of mistreating others. Seattle Opera will offer its new Spanish/English performance at both its annual Frost Fest on Feb. 4 at Cornish Playhouse, and onMarch 19 at Kirkland Performance Center; ultimately, the production will tour more than 40 elementary schools statewide.

Seattle Opera launches a new chapter in its commitment to training young artists and preparing singers for opera careers with its new Seattle Opera Academy. Presented in collaboration with Seattle Youth Symphony's Marrowstone Music Festival, this three-week intensive training program for singers ages 16-22 will be hosted at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash.

Next up at McCaw Hall is a piece that Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang calls the perfect first-time opera experience. Katya Kabanova, the story of a young woman longing to be free from an oppressive small town and her monstrous mother-in-law, is told through music that's as lush and gorgeous as it is highly emotional. 

Bring the whole family to see Cinderella en España-a universal rags-to-riches tale that explores the beauty of kindness and the ugliness of mistreating others. Seattle Opera will offer its new Spanish/English performance at both its annual Frost Fest on Feb. 4 at Cornish Playhouse, and onMarch 19 at Kirkland Performance Center; ultimately, the production will tour more than 40 elementary schools statewide.

Opera is for everyone-and so is Seattle Opera's 2017/18 season! There's a new bilingual performance for elementary-school students, new performance venues such as Georgetown Steam Plant, a new mainstage collaboration with ACT Theatre and Seattle Symphony leaders, and even an outdoor performance offered free of charge. Regardless of background or socioeconomic status, this season offers ways for a broad audience to be able to experience opera; it's an open invitation for the Pacific Northwest. 

Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang has named Kristina Murti the company's new Director of Marketing & Communications. 

Seattle Opera rings in the New Year with some of the most glorious music in all of opera: Verdi's La traviata, the original Moulin Rouge. German Stage Director Peter Konwitschny has created an "excitingly rebellious" (A Younger Theater) production that takes an uncompromising look at moral hypocrisy. In this story, practically all of Paris rushes in as voyeurs to watch the demise of the town's dying "It Girl"-a modern-day courtesan named Violetta. The crowd, withmore concern for their entertainment than her health, foists a new admirer on her: a young, socially awkward bookworm named Alfredo. While love seems like it could be a distraction, there's ultimately no denying the darkness that descends on Verdi's heroine. Presented without intermission, the "non-stop music keeps the audience riveted throughout" (Express, UK).