2025/26 Season Preview with James Robinson

2025/26 Season Preview with James Robinson

Author: Seattle Opera March 12, 2025 Duration: 24:17

James Robinson, new General and Artistic Director of Seattle Opera, introduces the 2025/26 season. The Pirates of Penzance promises a musically extraordinary operatic approach to Gilbert & Sullivan; come prepared to laugh and to enjoy some familiar music as you've never heard it before. Daphne In Concert offers a rare opportunity to hear a lush Romantic masterpiece by Richard Strauss, an orchestral tour de force with splendid voices. Fellow Travelers, by Gregory Spears & Greg Pierce, is one of the most successful new American operas of the past decade: a bittersweet gay romance hidden inside a political thriller. And Carmen returns in a powerful production conducted by Seattle's beloved Ludovic Morlot and starring some of our favorite singers. Musical examples include excerpts from a 1959 Glyndebourne Pirates of Penzance, conducted by Malcolm Sargent and starring George Baker, Elsie Morison, and James Milligan; the 1964 Vienna Festival Daphne conducted by Karl Böhm and starring Hilde Gueden, Fritz Wunderlich, and James King; the recording of Fellow Travelers' world premiere, 2016 at Cincinnati Opera and starring Aaron Blake, Joseph Lattanzi, and Devon Guthrie, with the Cincinnati Symphony conducted by Mark Gibson; and Seattle Opera recordings of Carmen from 2019, Les Troyens from 2025, starring J'Nai Bridges and conducted by Ludovic Morlot, and Hansel und Gretel from 2016 starring Sasha Cooke and conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.


Ever wondered how a grand opera production comes together, or what it feels like to stand in the wings just before the curtain rises? The Seattle Opera Podcast pulls back the velvet curtain on this intricate world. From the company that has been a cornerstone of the Pacific Northwest arts scene since 1963, this series offers a genuine backstage pass. You’ll hear directly from the singers, conductors, directors, and designers who bring these powerful stories to life, discussing everything from vocal technique and set construction to the emotional core of a character. Episodes might delve into a beloved European classic one week and a groundbreaking new American work the next, reflecting the company’s dynamic repertoire. This isn't just a lecture about music and drama; it's an immersive audio experience where you can listen to artists explain their craft, hear snippets of rehearsals, and gain a deeper appreciation for opera as a living, collaborative art form. Tune in to this podcast for conversations that are as passionate and detailed as the productions themselves, all brought to you directly from the heart of Seattle's opera community.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 131

Seattle Opera Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Seattle's Queer Community Reacts to FELLOW TRAVELERS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:51
Last month Seattle Opera (finally!) presented its first-ever queer opera on the mainstage. Fellow Travelers, with its historical setting, offered the queer folks of Seattle an opportunity to look back at how things used…
CARMEN 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:45
Why has Carmen been, since 1875, one of the world's most popular operas? Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces this beloved masterpiece with musical examples from Seattle Opera's archival recordings of Carmen:…
FELLOW TRAVELERS 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:33
In February/March 2026 Seattle Opera premieres a new production of Fellow Travelers, an opera (based on the novel by Thomas Mallon) with music by Gregory Spears to a libretto by Greg Pierce that premiered at Cincinnati O…
DAPHNE 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:44
Daphne, by Richard Strauss, comes to Seattle Opera for two concert performances in January 2025. This gorgeous opera, based on Greek myth, is a splendid showcase for a fantastic orchestra. Jonathan Dean explains what Str…
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:08
Seattle Opera presents its first-ever Gilbert & Sullivan in October 2025: The Pirates of Penzance, in a charming, traditional production that has already delighted many American opera audiences. Jonathan Dean explains th…
TOSCA 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:05
Seattle Opera concludes its 24/25 season in May 2025 with TOSCA, Puccini's beloved thriller. Jonathan Dean introduces the charismatic characters, cinematic music, and wild story that have made TOSCA one of the world's fa…
THE MAGIC FLUTE 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:01
Mozart's miraculous final masterpiece returns to Seattle Opera in February/March 2025. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the beloved music of THE MAGIC FLUTE, with musical examples from archival Seattle Op…
LES TROYENS IN CONCERT 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:59
In January 2025 Seattle Opera will present two concert performances of LES TROYENS À CARTHAGE, the second part (Acts 3, 4, & 5) of Berlioz's monumental masterpiece LES TROYENS. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean intro…
JUBILEE 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:44
Seattle Opera presents the world premiere of JUBILEE, a new opera celebrating spirituals. Created by Tazewell Thompson, librettist of BLUE, JUBILEE tells the story of how a group of African American singers toured Americ…
PAGLIACCI 101 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:28
For Summer 2024, Seattle Opera will present PAGLIACCI, by Ruggero Leoncavallo, a masterpiece of Italian opera all about lust and jealousy, passion and murder; a show about reality and artifice, comedy and tragedy, freedo…