Seattle Opera Podcast

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 Opera recordings made in 1999 (Daniel Beckwith conducts Nathan Gunn, Paul Charles Clarke, John Osborne, Philip Skinner, Ana Maria Martinez, and Cyndia Sieden); 2011 (Gary Thor Wedow conducts Doug Jones, Alissa Henderson, Benjamin Richardson, and Casi Goodman); and 2017 (Julia Jones conducts Christina Poulitsi, Amanda Forsythe, Randall Bills, Jacqueline Piccolino, Nian Wang, Jenni Bank, Frederick Ballentine, Jonathan Silvia, John Moore, and Ante Jerkunica.)

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 introduces the music of Berlioz and this full-length program, sharing musical examples from recordings of Georges Thill singing French tenor arias; Les Troyens conducted by Colin Davis in 1969 (with the orchestra and chorus of Covent Garden and Jon Vickers); from 2000 (Davis conducting the London Symphony orchestra and chorus, Ben Heppner, Michelle DeYoung, and Sara Mingardo); and from 2017 (John Nelson conducts the Orchestre and Choeur philharmonique de Strasbourg, Joyce DiDonato, and Cyrille Dubois).

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 America and Europe in the 1870s, using this wonderful music—America’s first great contribution to the world of music—to raise money to build Fisk University. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces JUBILEE, whose score consists of newly orchestrated arrangements of over 40 beloved spirituals, sung by thirteen singers. Musical examples in this podcast include spirituals sung by Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson; The Long Road to Freedom: An Anthology of Black Music; The Trouble I’ve Seen (Moses Hogan Chorale); Negro Spirituals (Derek Lee Ragin and the Moses Hogan Chorale); Spirituals in Concert (Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman); Gospel Songs (The Missionary Quartet); and Mary Elizabeth Williams singing La forza del destino.

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, freedom and fate. (It’s not about pizza.) Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces PAGLIACCI with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 2008 archival recording, conducted by Dean Williamson and starring Antonello Palombi as Canio, Nuccia Focile as Nedda, Morgan Smith as Silvio, Gordon Hawkins as Tonio, and Doug Jones as Beppe. Special musical examples feature Enrico Caruso, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and Queen, with Freddie Mercury.

Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! Rossini’s cheerful comedy rounds out Seattle Opera’s season in May 2024. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces THE BARBER OF SEVILLE with musical examples drawn from Seattle Opera archival recordings from 1992 (conducted by Edoardo Mueller and starring John Del Carlo and Kevin Langan); 2011 (conducted by Dean Williamson and starring José Carbo, Lawrence Brownlee, Sarah Coburn, and Kate Lindsey); and 2017 (conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti and starring Sofia Fomina, Matthew Grills, Will Liverman, Kevin Glavin, and Daniel Sumegi).

Composer Anthony Davis and Conductor Kazem Abdullah discuss X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X with KING FM's Myah Rose. Coming to Seattle Opera February 24 through March 9, Davis's first opera premiered at New York City Opera in 1986. Kazem Abdullah first discovered the opera when he found a recording at the public library in Toledo, OH, where he grew up, just as Myah Rose was intrigued when she found a recording at the University of Michigan. Abdullah, who conducted Davis's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera The Central Park Five in Portland recently, has also conducted performances of X in Detroit and New York's Metropolitan Opera. He and Davis discuss the challenges and rewards of this important American work. 

Enjoy this sample-platter of music and voices from Seattle Opera’s 2024/25 season. Dramaturg Jonathan Dean and Aren Der Hacopian, Director of Artistic Administration and Planning introduce a mainstage season including Pagliacci (Aug ‘24), Jubilee (World Premiere, Oct ’24), Les Troyens à Carthage in concert (Jan ’25) The Magic Flute (Feb/Mar ’25) and Tosca (May ’25). Musical clips include tenor Diego Torre (Canio in Pagliacci at Lyric Opera Kansas City); Monica Conesa (Seattle’s Nedda, here singing “Casta diva” in Jordan last year); spirituals from Jessye Norman & Kathleen Battle, Paul Robeson, and Marion Anderson; the Les Troyens Act 4 ballet played by the Strasbourg Philharmonic; J’nai Bridges (Delilah in Seattle in 2023); Russell Thomas (Otello at Canadian Opera Company in 2019); Duke Kim (La traviata’s Alfredo in Seattle in 2023); Rodion Pogossov (Belcore in Elixir of Love in Seattle in 2022); Sharleen Joynt (Morgana in Alcina in Seattle in 2023); Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina in Seattle in 2023); and Lianna Haroutounian (Cio-Cio San in Madame Butterfly in Seattle in 2017).

ALCINA, opening October 14th, will be only the fourth-ever Handel opera given at Seattle Opera. General Director Christina Scheppelmann, stage director Tim Albery, and conductor Christine Brandes discuss this great opera composer, and the rebirth of interest in his work, with Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Starting about 19 minutes in, all three share favorite music from Handel operas.

Musical excerpts include singing “Va, tacito” from Giulio Cesare (Marijana Mijanovic and Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Mark Minkowski); “Vivo in te” from Tamerlano (Karina Gauvin and Max Emanuel Cenčić, with Il pomo d’oro conducted by Ricardo Minasi); “Piangerò” from Giulio Cesare (Sabine Devieilhe and Pygmalion, conducted by Raphael Pichon); “Cara speme” from Giulio Cesare (Anne Sofie von Otter and Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Mark Minkowski); “Se pietà” from Giulio Cesare (Sabine Devieilhe and Pygmalion, conducted by Raphael Pichon);  “L’empio, sleale, indegno” from Giulio Cesare (Brian Asawa, the Seattle Opera orchestra conducted by Gary Thor Wedow); “Dopo notte” from Ariodante (Lorraine Hunt and the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra conducted by Nicholas McGegan); “Son nata a lagrimar” from Giulio Cesare (Bernarda Fink and Marianne Rørholm, with Concerto Köln conducted by René Jacobs); and a passage from “L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato” (Paul McCreesh conducted the Gabrieli Consort and Players).

Meet the characters and explore the rich vocal history of DAS RHEINGOLD with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. With recorded music examples ranging from 1904 to 2015, Dean considers how DAS RHEINGOLD challenges its singers to feats of lyrical and heroic singing—and even listens for the dreaded “Bayreuth Bark.” Includes special examples from Seattle Opera’s 1976 English-language RING, plus “tag-team” musical examples—where switching singers mid-aria offers an opportunity to hear even more amazing voices.

Musical credits: 100 Jahre Bayreuth als Schallplate, the Early Festival Singers: Anton von Rooy (Wotan), 1908; Hans Breuer (Mime), (1904); Ernestine Schumann-Heink (Erda), 1907. Les Introuvables du Chant Wagnerien: Friedrich Schorr (Wotan), 1929. 1953 Bayreuth; Clemens Krauss conducts Ludwig Weber (Fasolt), Josef Greindl (Fafner), Erich Witte (Loge), Hermann Uhde (Donner), Paul Kuen (Mime). 1953, RAI Roma; Wilhelm Furtwängler conducts Lorenz Fehenberger (Froh). 1976, Seattle Opera; Henry Holt conducts Malcolm Rivers (Alberich) and Noel Tyl (Wotan) singing Andrew Porter’s English translation. 1978, Covent Garden; Colin Davis conducts George Shirley (Loge). 1989, Bayerische Staatsoper; Wolfgang Sawallisch conducts Nancy Gustafson (Freia), Kurt Moll (Fafner), Marjana Lipovsek (Fricka), Julie Kaufmann (Woglinde), Angela Maria Blasi (Wellgunde), and Birgit Calm (Flosshilde). 1991, Bayreuth; Daniel Barenboim conducts John Tomlinson (Wotan), Matthias Hölle (Fasolt), and Helmut Pampuch (Mime). 1995, Seattle Opera; Hermann Michael conducts Monte Pederson (Wotan). 2013, Seattle Opera; Asher Fisch conducts Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), and Dennis Peterson (Mime). 2015, Hong Kong Philharmonic; Jaap van Zweden conducts Kwangchul Youn (Fasolt), Stephen Milling (Fafner), and Kim Begley (Loge).

In June Seattle Opera presents BOUND, a one-act chamber opera (music by Huang Ruo, libretto by Bao-Long Chu). This opera features Vanessa Vo playing đàn bầu (monochord) and đàn tranh (Vietnamese zither). In this podcast, Vo demonstrates and discusses these instruments with Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Plus, as a bonus: Vo’s performance, on the đàn bầu of “Summertime” from Gershwin’s PORGY AND BESS, arranged by Nguyen Le, with Frank Martin at the piano. This performance was chosen as one of NPR’s Songs We Love in 2015.

In this conversation Briq House and Moonyeka share their perspective on Seattle Opera’s La traviata. Speaking with Gabrielle Nomura Gainor, the two sex-positive artists and community leaders discuss the "fallen woman" archetype in Verdi's opera, the joy and challenges surrounding sex work—and other politics of pleasure for women and femmes–particularly QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color). Briq House has been featured in The Seattle Times, Time Magazine, and on the cover of The Stranger. She was honored in the Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Performers in the World List (21st Century Burlesque Magazine). Moonyeka is a nonbinary Filipinx interdisciplinary artist who provides sacred, erotic, healing spaces. With roots in street-styles dance (including Tutting and Popping), you may have seen them on the award-winning film series, If Cities Could Dance. Learn more at msbriqhouse.com and instagram.com/m00nyeka.

Notes: This conversation includes a candid discussion of human sexuality, sex work, and pleasure. 

After our world-premiere performances of A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS in February and March, audiences stayed to discuss the show with cast, crew, and staff. Hear highlights from those post-show Q&As. In addition to audience members, voices include those of Christina Scheppelmann (General Director), Khaled Hosseini (novelist), Sheila Silver (composer), Tess Altiveros (Nana/Woman #1/Wajma), Martin Bakari (Jalil/Wakil/Guard), Viswa Subbaraman (Conductor), Humaira Gilzai (Afghan Cultural Consultant), Ibidunni Ojikutu (Wife #2/Woman #2), John Moore (Rasheed), Rafael Moras (Tariq), Andrew Potter (Mullah/Sharif/Soldier), Sarah Coit (Wife #3/Fariba), Sarah Mattox (Wife #1/Woman #3), Ashraf Sewailam (Driver/Hakim), Karin Mushegain (Mariam), and Roya Sadat (Director).

Seattle Opera scholar-in-residence Dr. Naomi André, explores issues of orientalism, cultural representation, and musical exoticism in opera. French composer Camille Saint-Saëns wrote his biblical epic Samson and Delilah (1877) at a time when European powers were aggressively pursuing imperial expansion. As part of the cultural project of colonialism, Europe’s artists became fascinated with the representation of non-European peoples, frequently turning to caricatures and stereotypes to justify European incursions. Such orientalist portrayals present numerous challenges when presenting these works in the 21st century. When does inspiration become exploitation? Who gets to tell stories about whom? And what happens when issues of gender, religious belief, and nation intersect with the power dynamics that underlie these works?

Figaro! Figaro! Figaro! Rossini’s cheerful comedy rounds out Seattle Opera’s season in May 2024. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces THE BARBER OF SEVILLE with musical examples drawn from Seattle Opera archival recordings from 1992 (conducted by Edoardo Mueller and starring John Del Carlo and Kevin Langan); 2011 (conducted by Dean Williamson and starring José Carbo, Lawrence Brownlee, Sarah Coburn, and Kate Lindsey); and 2017 (conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti and starring Sofia Fomina, Matthew Grills, Will Liverman, Kevin Glavin, and Daniel Sumegi).

In 1986 composer Anthony Davis and librettist Thulani Davis created an opera about the civil rights activist, with a story by Christopher Davis. The revised version comes to Seattle for the first time in winter/spring 2024, in a co-production shared with Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha, the Metropolitan Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces X: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALCOLM X 101, with musical examples from from the 2022 Boston Modern Orchestra Project recording of the opera conducted by Gil Rose and starring Davone Tines, Whitney Morrison, Ronnita Miller, Victor Robertson, Joshua Conyers, and Jonathan Harris. Special thanks to Glenn Hare.

In Fall 2023 Seattle Opera will present Handel’s ALCINA, a magical opera seria about the vagaries of love, attraction, and gender. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Handel operas and ALCINA, with musical examples from recital albums by Andreas Scholl and Sarah Connolly as well as recordings of ALCINA dating from 1959 (conducted by Ferdinand Leitner and starring Joan Sutherland); from 1962 (conducted by Richard Bonynge and starring Sutherland, Teresa Berganza, Monica Sinclair, and Luigi Alva); and 1999 (conducted by William Christie and starring Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, Kathleen Kuhlmann, Timothy Robinson, and Natalie Dessay).

The introductory first opera of Wagner’s RING cycle is a unique and fascinating work in its own right: both a lively fantasy and a trenchant satirical allegory. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces DAS RHEINGOLD, with musical examples from previous Seattle Opera productions including 1977 (conducted by Henry Holt and starring Malcolm Rivers), 1995 (conducted by Hermann Michael and starring Julian Patrick), 2005 (conducted by by Robert Spano and starring Ewa Podles), and 2013 (conducted by Asher Fisch and starring Mark Schowalter). Special thanks to Alex Minami.

Seattle Opera subscriber Dr. Chris Rebholz, a practicing Buddhist, discusses Wagner’s Tristan with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Fascinated by Buddhism when he wrote Tristan und Isolde, Wagner created an opera all about compassion, karma, desire, enlightenment, and the difficulty of reconciling both conventional and ultimate reality (aka “Day vs. Night”). Dr. Rebholz teaches adult classes on Buddhism at Seattle’s Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism. A clinical and forensic psychologist, in private practice, who specializes in evaluating neurodiverse adults for healthcare and the courts, she teaches corporate seminars on neurodiversity as well as continuing legal education on issues of mental health and the law. Musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 2022 Tristan und Isolde starring Mary Elizabeth Williams, Ryan McKinney, and Amber Wagner and conducted by Jordan de Souza.

Richard Wagner is once again making an appearance on the Seattle Opera stage, renewing questions about the controversial composer’s compatibility with contemporary social values. Wagner’s objectionable views and dominant position in the opera canon have long vexed opera lovers, prompting some to wonder what role Wagner should play for modern opera companies. 

Join esteemed musicologists and music critics from around the globe as they reflect on the ethics of performing Wagner in the 21st century and envision a more equitable model for classical music. The conversation will address how opera companies might present works by problematic artists, as well as what they can do more broadly to diversify programming. What gets the privilege of being called classical music, and what gets left out of that definition? What role should opera companies play in the cultivation of new music? And how can we find a balance between traditional works and overlooked voices?

Join us for a conversation with Kira Thurman, author of Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, and Seattle Opera scholar-in-residence Dr. Naomi André. Drawing on her experience as a classically trained pianist who grew up in Vienna, Austria, Thurman traces the sweeping story of Black musicians performing in Germany and Austria over more than a century.

As musicians like Marian Anderson and Grace Bumbry broke barriers on stage and in concert halls, they found opportunities in German-speaking Europe that were denied to them in the Jim Crow-era U.S. In doing so, they also challenged categories of Blackness and Germanness and complicated the public's understanding of how music is tied to racial and national identity.

American soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams, beloved in Seattle for performances such as Tosca, Abigaille in NABUCCO, and Serena in PORGY AND BESS, just made her role debut as Isolde, the first time she’s ever sung a Wagner opera. She discussed the character, the singing, and her two-and-a-half year journey towards this achievement with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. This podcast features clips of Williams singing Tosca (conducted by Julian Kovatchev) and “Pace, pace, mio Dio” from LA FORZA DEL DESTINO (conducted by Carlo Montanaro), as well as Amber Wagner singing Brangäne in TRISTAN (conducted by Jordan de Souza).

Annegret Oehme, Associate Professor of German Studies at the University of Washington, discusses TRISTAN UND ISOLDE with Jonathan Dean. Wagner’s inspiration for this amazing opera was the 12th century poem by Gottfried von Straßburg, a classic of medieval German literature. Wagner built on Gottfried’s timeless tale of impossible, frenzied love: some elements (such as the love potion) he transposes directly into opera, others he discards (the fight with the dragon), others he repurposes (the white and black flags). Minnelied example courtesy of Studio der Frühen Musik. Special thanks to Meg Stolz and Dennis Robinson, Jr.

Sopranos Tess Altiveros and Shelly Traverse both have lots of Seattle Opera credits: mainstage productions (Tess sang Giannetta in this summer’s ELIXIR OF LOVE; Shelly was Chan in CHARLIE PARKER’S YARDBIRD and Hero in BEATRICE AND BENEDICT), chamber operas (ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE, THE FALLING AND THE RISING, THE COMBAT), and much, much more. Tess was even in the Children’s Chorus in the ‘90s. For ELIXIR, they were also understudies; Tess covered Salome Jicia (our Adina), and Shelly covered Tess! For our ELIXIR radio broadcast intermission, these two gifted performers discussed this summer’s opera and some of the many other ways they have--and will continue to--contribute to Seattle Opera.

Verdi’s masterpiece returns to Seattle Opera May 2023. Initially this sumptuous, tuneful, utterly human tragedy sparked controversy, but it quickly became one of the world’s most beloved operas. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces La traviata, with musical examples from previous Seattle Opera productions including 1996 (conducted by Gerard Schwarz and starring Gordon Hawkins and Lauren Flanigan), 2009 (conducted by Brian Garman and starring Francesco Demuro and Eglise Guttierez), and 2016 (conducted by Stefano Ranzani and starring Angel Blue).

A brand-new opera based on Khaled Hosseini’s best-selling novel, with music by Sheila Silver, libretto by Stephen Kitsakos, and directed by Roya Sadat, premieres at Seattle Opera in February 2023. In this podcast Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces A Thousand Splendid Suns, with musical examples from a 2016 workshop performed by NOVUS NY orchestra, with Steve Gorn on bansuri and Jonathan Singer on tabla, conducted by Sara Jobin and featuring Lucy Fitz Gibbon as Laila, Vira Slywotzky as Nana, Aleksandra Romano as Mariam, Thor Arbjornsson as Tariq, and Ron Loyd as Rasheed.

Saint-Saëns’ grand French opera, not heard in Seattle since 1965, returns January 2023 in a concert production showcasing the breathtaking music of this powerful Old Testament epic. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Samson et Dalila, with musical examples drawn from recordings conducted by Louis Fourestier, starring Hélène Bouvier and Paul Cabanel; George Prêtre, starring Rita Gorr, Ernest Blanc, and the René Duclos Chorus; Daniel Barenboim, starring the Orchestre de Paris; Myung-Whun Chung, starring Placido Domingo and the orchestra and chorus of Opéra-Bastille; plus solo recital albums starring Maria Callas and Georges Thill.

Wagner’s revolutionary masterpiece, often considered the most Romantic opera ever written, returns to Seattle Opera in October 2022. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Tristan und Isolde, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 1998 (starring Jane Eaglen, Ben Heppner, and Michelle DeYoung, conducted by Armin Jordan) and 2010 (conducted by Asher Fisch, with Simeon Esper as the Shepherd and the English Horn solo played by Stefan Farkas) productions, plus 2011 Die Zauberflöte  (conducted by Gary Thor Wedow and starring Philip Cutlip).

A smile full of sunshine comes to Seattle Opera with the return of Donizetti’s endearing comedy. The story of The Elixir of Love concerns the adventures of a bottle of Bordeaux; but the music is as sweet and gentle as the lightest possible tiramisù. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The Elixir of Love, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 1998 archival recording, starring Rafael Rojas and Vinson Cole as Nemorino, Jane Giering-De Haan as Adina, Jason Howard as Belcore, and Julian Patrick as Dr. Dulcamara. John DeMain conducted the chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera.

In this ‘listener’s guide’ to one of opera’s favorite comedies, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean investigates Mozart’s use of some eighteenth-century musical idioms in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. Musical examples from Seattle Opera Marriage of Figaro productions in 1997 (conducted by Antonello Allemandi, starring Mary Mills); 2009 (conducted by Dean Williamson, starring Marius Kwiecien, Twyla Robinson, Christine Brandes, Arthur Woodley, and Oren Gradus); and 2016, (conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, starring Morgan Smith, Karin Mushegain,  Shenyang, Nuccia Focile, Bernarda Bobro).

General Director Christina Scheppelmann announces Seattle Opera's 2022/23 season, including the great singers who will be coming to Seattle and an exciting lineup of operas: Donizetti's Elixir of Love, Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah, Verdi's La traviata, and the world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns by Sheila Silver and Stephen Kitsakos, based on the novel by Khaled Hosseini.

This conversation (recorded live, December 16, 2021) featured ORPHEUS & EURYDICE stage director Chía Patiño, choreographer Donald Byrd, and conductor Stephen Stubbs. The inspiration for the earliest operas, as well as numerous retellings in each new generation, the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is a reflection on music’s power to express love and sorrow. It is a story that reflects our own time as we come to terms with our collective grief and, like Orpheus, grapple with the pain of letting go.

Stephen Stubbs, conductor of Seattle Opera’s upcoming ORFEO ED EURIDICE, by Gluck, joined us last year for an intermission chat when we rebroadcast Gluck’s IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE. A native Seattleite, student (and professor) at University of Washington, Stubbs has been a leader in the world of early music for three decades. Among the hundreds of recordings he has made, his 2015 DESCENTE D’ORPHÉE AUX ENFERS (by Charpentier) won a Grammy for Best Opera Recording. He first appeared at Seattle Opera in 2007’s GIULIO CESARE, playing theorbo, and conducted our first-ever presentation with music by Monteverdi, 2017’s THE COMBAT. In this conversation Stubbs discusses Gluck with Christina Scheppelmann.

Opera is a big team effort. Every opera production puts hundreds of creative people to work, singing, playing instruments, acting, dancing, crafting and maneuvering sets, costumes, props, and lights and everything else. Backstage at Seattle Opera’s recent LA BOHÈME, Dramaturg Jonathan Dean spoke with several veteran Seattle Opera artisans about their contributions to the show: Mary Seasly (costumes & wardrobe), Brayden Daher (supernumerary), Barry Johnson (comprimario soloist), and Valerie Muzzolini (harp).

“Men die and governments change, but the songs of La bohème will live forever,” wrote Thomas Alva Edison to Giacomo Puccini. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces La bohème, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s archival recordings of La bohème: from 2007, with Rosario La Spina (Rodolfo) and Nuccia Focile (Mimì), conducted by Vjekoslav Sutej; and from 2013, with Andrew Garland (Schaunard), Arthur Woodley (Colline), Michael Fabiano (Rodolfo), Keith Phares (Marcello), and Jennifer Black (Mimì), conducted by Carlo Montanaro.

Seattle Opera Scholar-in-Residence Naomi André and Dramaturg Jonathan Dean discuss the most controversial of all opera composers, Richard Wagner, whose DIE WALKÜRE the company will present, in concert (and abridged) at Fisher Pavilion on August 28. Wagner’s astonishing masterpieces continue to challenge and delight audiences, although his legacy is tainted because of his obnoxious attitudes and how his work was appropriated by the Third Reich. André and Dean discuss approaching Wagner, not from an ‘either/or’ mentality, but from a “both...and” way of thinking.

For KING FM’s re-broadcast of Seattle Opera’s 1976 OF MICE AND MEN, Dramaturg Jonathan Dean interviewed Melanie Ross about the early days of Seattle Opera and the work of her father, Seattle Opera founding General Director Glynn Ross. Melanie, who retired in 2017, worked behind the scenes at Seattle Opera for over four decades. We appreciate her sharing these precious memories of the early days of the company, and those early performances of Carlisle Floyd’s Steinbeck-derived opera. Seattle Opera gave Of Mice and Men its world premiere in 1970, then revived the opera six seasons later.

Giacomo Sagripanti conducted Rossini's wicked French comedy, Count Ory, at Seattle Opera in 2016. He recently discussed this great work and Rossini with General Director Christina Scheppelmann.

Marketing Director Kristina Murti and Assistant Production Director Alicia Moriarty chatted during an intermission of GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. Listen to their stories about how the RING changed their lives, and what it does for the opera company that dares take it on.

Phil Kelsey, Seattle Opera’s Assistant Conductor, chatted during an intermission of GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG with Christina Scheppelmann when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. Phil, who can conduct or play any moment from the RING on demand, has worked on Seattle’s RINGs since 1983. He talks here about a lifetime devoted to this extraordinary work of art. 

Stage Manager Yasmine Kiss and Assistant Stage Manager Cris Reynolds chatted during an intermission of Siegfried when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. Listen to their stories about what it’s like backstage getting costumes, props, scenery, human beings, and livestock organized for their onstage appearances.

Violinist Kathy Boyer and horn soloist Mark Robbins chatted during an intermission of Siegfried when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. Listen to their stories of playing this brilliant opera and the various challenges it has presented them over the years.

Lighting Designer Connie Yun and Master Carpenter Tim Buck (who designed the RING's fire & flight effects) chatted during an intermission of DIE WALKÜRE when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. They discuss how to make mermaids swim, mountain ledges burn, and Seattle’s long RING tradition.

Bassoon player Paul Rafanelli and violinist Jeannie Wells Yablonsky chatted during an intermission of DIE WALKÜRE when Seattle Opera re-broadcast its 2005 RING cycle on KING-FM in February. Listen to their perspective on playing these operas and Seattle’s long RING tradition.

At Seattle Opera we had the great good fortune to work with the late great bass Arthur Woodley many times over 25 years. In this podcast, which will also air on KING FM during the intermission of BORIS GODUNOV on January 9, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean shares some of Arthur Woodley’s extraordinary vocal performances and memories of this beloved singer.

Archival clips featuring the Seattle Opera orchestra, chorus, and soloists from performances of Bluebeard’s Castle, 2009, conducted by Evan Rogister; The Marriage of Figaro, 2009, conducted by Dean Williamson; Julius Caesar, 2007, conducted by Gary Thor Wedow; Il trovatore, 2010, conducted by Yves Abel; Fidelio, 2012, conducted by Asher Fisch; La bohème, 2013, conducted by Carlo Monatanaro, and Lucia di Lammermoor, 2010, conducted by Bruno Cinquegrani.

Francesca Zambello recalled the extraordinary adventure of making an opera from the literary world of the great Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez during an intermission chat with Christina Scheppelmann. Zambello, General Director of Washington National Opera and Glimmerglass Festival, is also a stage director who has given Seattle Opera many wonderful productions.This podcast also features musical clips from Seattle Opera performances of FLORENCIA.

Donald Byrd, Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater, has choreographed several productions for Seattle Opera over the years. Just before the pandemic began he made valuable choreographic contributions to CHARLIE PARKER’S YARDBIRD. General Director Christina Scheppelmann interviewed Byrd for a “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM” re-broadcast of his Seattle Opera debut, our 2007 production of Handel’s GIULIO CESARE.

Vinson Cole decided to be an opera singer when he was 9 years old. Beginning in 1988, with his spectacular debut as Gluck’s Orphée (Seattle Opera’s first-ever Baroque opera and first-ever modern dress production) the tenor became something of a star-in-residence in the Emerald City. He sang a lead role almost every year in Seattle, excelling in a huge swath of repertoire. General Director Christina Scheppelmann interviewed Cole, who lives now where he grew up, in Kansas City, when “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM” re-broadcast his fateful, dazzling performance of ORPHÉE.

Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with soprano Jane Eaglen when “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM” played TRISTAN UND ISOLDE, a 1998 production that featured role debuts for both Eaglen (as Isolde) and Ben Heppner (as Tristan). Eaglen describes that eventful summer, what it’s like to sing the Liebestod from Isolde’s point of view, and the importance of a prompter!

Peter Kazaras has been a mainstay of Seattle Opera since his 1985 debut onstage singing the role of Steva in JENŮFA. His debut as a stage director came in 2003. As Artistic Director of Seattle Opera’s Young Artists Program from 2005 to 2013, plus his ongoing work as Director of Opera at UCLA, he has trained a generation of opera artists. For a KING FM Intermission he discussed with Jonathan Dean Verdi’s FALSTAFF, an opera Kazaras first staged in 2007, for the Young Artists, and then in 2010 on Seattle Opera’s mainstage.

Viswa Subbaraman will make his Seattle Opera debut next spring conducting FLIGHT. This young American conductor discussed Lakmé, and the operatic tradition of “exoticism”—European artworks using images of non-European places and cultures—with Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann for an intermission feature on a Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM broadcast.

University of Michigan professor Naomi André is also Seattle Opera’s Scholar-in-Residence. For an intermission feature on “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM,” she discussed Verdi’s OTELLO and its 1967 premiere at Seattle Opera.

Italian conductor Carlo Montanaro was in Seattle, working on our fall video version of THE ELIXIR OF LOVE, when he chatted with Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann about Donizetti for an intermission feature that played during a rebroadcast of ANNA BOLENA on “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.”

Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with baritone Gordon Hawkins as an intermission feature for “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.” In addition to discussing Macbeth and several of his other great roles, Hawkins and Scheppelmann, both of whom knew and admired Ruth Bader Ginsburg, fondly remember the Chief Justice and her love for opera.

Seattle Opera’s current General Director, Christina Scheppelmann, chatted with Speight Jenkins, who led the company for three decades, from 1983 through 2014. Speight is a legend in the world of opera, and as you’ll hear in this podcast his inimitable, high-energy, opinionated charm is as powerful as ever. They discuss the great tenor Franco Corelli (this conversation was originally an intermission feature on a re-broadcast of Corelli’s Seattle debut) and Speight tells the story of how he first came to Seattle.

Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with soprano Jane Eaglen as an intermission feature for “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.” Eaglen remembers the dramatic circumstances of her Seattle debut, as Norma in 1994, and how coming to Seattle ended up changing her life.

Phil Kelsey, Seattle Opera’s Assistant Conductor, remembered the fantastic fall 1990 Seattle Opera premiere of Rusalka during an intermission chat with Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Kelsey, who had musically prepared several Seattle Rings during the ‘80s, has been with the company full-time ever since that Rusalka, and was particularly gratified to watch this great Czech opera—long a personal favorite of his—become part of the standard rep in America.

Stephen Wall has sung with Seattle Opera for almost 40 seasons...but this season has brought him additional fame, as “Ballard Opera Man,” offering regular outdoor recitals for his neighbors (with room for them to maintain social distance!). He discussed both his recent activities and his many years with Seattle Opera with General Director Christina Scheppelmann for a recent intermission feature for “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.”

Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with baritone Gordon Hawkins as an intermission feature for “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.” Between Acts 2 and 3 of NABUCCO, Hawkins, who has sung almost all the great Verdi baritone roles for Seattle Opera, reflected on singing Verdi honestly and his many years with the company.

Many of opera’s greatest and most overwhelming moments happen thanks to the chorus. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces many of the typical functions of the opera chorus, such as saluting a leader, singing in praise—or fear—of God, providing local color, intensifying the drama, and embodying the multitude. Musical excerpts from three decades of Seattle Opera productions feature the work of Seattle Opera Chorus Masters George Fiore, Beth Kirchoff, and John Keene, in Seattle Opera’s 2015 Nabucco, 2012 Turandot, 2000 Boris Godunov, 2015 Semele, 2007 Iphigénie en Tauride, 2019 Il trovatore, 2014 Tales of Hoffmann, 2013 La bohème, 2011 Porgy and Bess, 1998 Faust, 1994 Lohengrin, 1994 Norma, 2007 Flying Dutchman, 2012 Fidelio, 1989 Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and 1990 War and Peace, plus a Decca recording of Die Entführung aus dem Serail conducted by Sir Georg Solti, the Leipzig Radio Chorus and Staatskapelle Dresden performing the Tannhäuser Pilgrims’ Chorus conducted by Silvio Varviso, and the Decca recording of Peter Grimes conducted by Benjamin Britten.

Come down to the bassment and enjoy the deep sound of the bass and bass-baritone voices with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Basses play dads, priests, kings, old bearded guys, God, and the Devil; they get to be evil, they get to be funny, and they always sing with great authority. Includes a 4-pack bass sampler from BORIS GODUNOV, a taste test of Hagens from GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, and a buffo bass patter race. Musical examples feature favorite Seattle Opera basses and bass-baritones including Kevin Langan, Richard Best, Peter Rose, Ante Jerkunica, John Relyea, Gabor Andrasy, Nicolas Cavallier, Alexander Anisimov, Arthur Woodley, Eduardo Chama, Shenyang, Ashraf Sewailam, Greer Grimsley, Vladimir Ognovienko, baritone Marius Kwiecien, Alfred Walker, William Wildermann, John Macurdy, Simon Estes, John Del Carlo, Monte Pederson, Kevin Short, and Stephen Milling.

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the baritone voice, a sound which celebrates the beauty and power of masculinity. In opera, baritones play clowns and kings, urban sophisticates and unlettered innocents; good, bad, and every shade of grey. They win our hearts, melt our hearts, and break our hearts. Featuring musical examples with sweet lyric baritones, proud heroic baritones, snarly dramatic baritones, and many other varieties, including Seattle Opera favorites John Moore, Dale Duesing, Alfonso Antoniozzi, Mariusz Kwiecien, Gordon Hawkins, Richard Stilwell, Will Liverman, David Adam Moore, Vladimir Chernov, Morgan Smith, Christopher Maltman, Julian Patrick, Malcolm Rivers, Andrew Garland, Richard Paul Fink, and Brett Polegato.

Seattle Opera General Director Christina Scheppelmann spoke with Marketing Director Kristina Murti about the 2017 production of Madama Butterfly as an intermission feature for “Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM.” They discussed the importance of putting historical works in context, something Seattle Opera strove to do at that production by providing audiences with more information about how the opera came to be created, and the powerful and lasting impact created by its images and ideas.

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces several different types of tenor, from the agile-voiced, graceful and elegant tenori di grazia, to the heroic and powerful tenori di forza, and all points in between. Includes musical examples featuring many favorite Seattle Opera tenors: Antonello Palombi, Edgardo Rocha, Laurence Brownlee, William Burden, Matthew Polenzani, Ben Heppner, James McCracken, Stefan Vinke, Francesco Demuro, Joseph Calleja, Alasdair Elliott, Peter Kazaras, Marcello Giordani, Neil Shicoff, Russell Thomas, Franco Corelli, and Vinson Cole.

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean investigates two voice types infrequently encountered in opera: trebles (boy sopranos and adolescent female sopranos) and countertenors. Features conversation with Seattle Opera coach-accompanist Jay Rozendaal, and musical examples: TURN OF THE SCREW (Rafi Bellamy Plaice and Forrest Wu), LAKMÉ (Harolyn Blackwell), THE MAGIC FLUTE (Johanna Mergener, Emili Rice, and Isabel Woods), HANSEL & GRETEL (Sasha Cooke and Ashley Emerson), SIEGFRIED (Juls Serger and Julianne Gearhart), FALSTAFF (Peter Rose), Freddie Mercury, Colm Wilkinson, and Will Oakland, I PURITANI (Luciano Pavarotti and Lawrence Brownlee), Alessandro Moreschi, GIULIO CESARE (Bryn Terfel, Milijana Mijanovic, and Jochen Kowalski singing “Va, tacito” and Brian Asawa singing “L’empio, sleale, indegno”) and A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Anthony Roth Costanzo).

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the mezzo and contralto voices. With their rich, creamy, dark sounds these lower-voiced ladies play opera’s most luscious babes, as well as boys, old women, jealous wives, vengeful goddesses, and loving mothers. Featuring musical examples including Seattle Opera favorites Michelle DeYoung, Helene Schneidermann, Sarah Mattox, Rosemary Alvino, Daniela Sindram, Kate Lindsey, Graciela Araya, Laura Polvarelli, Luretta Bybee, Maria Zifchak, Sarah Larsen, Margaret Gawrysiak, Rosalind Plowright, Marvellee Cariaga, Joyce Castle, Stephanie Blythe, Elena Gabouri, Florence Quivar, Ewa Podles, Sheila Nadler, and Geraldine Decker.

Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean leads a tour through the land of soprano, from dazzling coloratura acrobats to fearsome goddesses whose roar sets the opera house aflame. Includes musical examples featuring many favorite Seattle Opera sopranos: Cyndia Sieden, Joan Sutherland, Sarah Coburn, Sally Wolf, Dana Pundt, Jennifer Zetlan, Nuccia Focile, Angel Blue, Alexandra Deshorties, Renee Fleming, Sheri Greenawald, Carol Vaness, Lisa Daltirus, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Marcy Stonikas, Janice Baird and Irmgard Vilsmaier, and Jane Eaglen.

Learn more about this fresh, fascinating, and wholly operatic new work, which will play on www.king.org on Saturday June 13 at 10 am PST. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell. Musical examples from the new recording of the opera made at Santa Fe Opera, summer 2017, and available from Pentatone records, with Edward Parks (Steve Jobs), Garrett Sorenson (Woz), Jessica E. Jones (Chrisann), Sasha Cooke (Laurene), and Wei Wu (Kōbun), conducted by Michael Christie.

Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM: coming up June 6, The Marriage of Figaro, performed January 2016. Aidan Lang, then General Director of Seattle Opera, brought his own New Zealand Opera production of one of his favorite works to Seattle. (Lang worked as a freelance stage director for many years before becoming an administrator.) In this podcast (transcribed at www.seattleoperablog.com/2015/12/aida…omes-to.html) Lang shares his thoughts about this extraordinary masterpiece and its beloved characters.

Musical examples recorded at Seattle Opera in 2009: conducted by Dean Williamson, starring Oren Gradus (Figaro), Christine Brandes (Susanna), Marius Kwiecien (Count Almaviva), Twyla Robinson (Countess Almaviva), Daniela Sindram (Cherubino), Leena Chopra (Barbarina), Arthur Woodley (Dr. Bartolo), Joyce Castle (Marcellina), Ted Schmitz (Don Basilio), and Barry Johnson (Antonio).

Tosca, featured on "Seattle Opera Mornings on KING FM" on May 30,  is both a great opera for newbies to the art form and a rewarding piece to hear multiple times; it’s accessible—a ‘thriller’ as cinematic as any Hollywood classic—and also stacked with layers of sumptuous artistry to savor. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Tosca, with musical examples from Seattle Opera archival recordings of Tosca made in 2001, 2007, and 2015 and featuring Stefano Secco and Frank Porretta, Jr. as Cavaradossi, Greer Grimsley as Scarpia, and Marcy Stonikas, Ausrine Stundyte, Lisa Daltirus, and Carol Vaness as Tosca. The chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera were conducted by Antonello Allemandi in 2001, Vjekoslav Sutej in 2007, and Julian Kovatchev in 2015.

Are you ready for this weekend (May 23)'s KING FM rebroadcast, the wildest opera by the person many consider opera’s greatest composer? Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Il trovatore, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s archival recordings of Il trovatore: from 1997, with Carol Vaness (Leonora) and Gegam Grigorian (Manrico), and Gordon Hawkins (Count Di Luna), conducted by Antonello Allemandi; and from 2010, with Malgorzata Walewska (Azucena), Antonello Palombi (Manrico), and Gordon Hawkins (Count Di Luna) conducted by Yves Abel.

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Operetta is a delightful kind of entertainment resembling opera, but different; whereas in opera the music tells the story, in operetta the music decorates a story which is usually little more than a joke—a story that nobody could possibly take seriously. Operetta developed, in the late nineteenth century, just as opera began taking itself perhaps too seriously. Operettas from traditions in Paris (Orphée aux enfers), London (The Pirates of Penzance), Vienna (Die Fledermaus) and New York City (Rose-Marie) typify the genre. And although many operettas remained popular for decades, the golden era of creating operetta turned to silver, then iron and finally steel as the twentieth century turned its energy toward making movies and wars.

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from the 1997 EMI recording of Orphée aux enfers conducted by Mark Minkowski and starring Ewa Podles and Natalie Dessay, EMI recordings conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent of The Pirates of Penzance, 1961, H.M.S. Pinafore, 1958, and Iolanthe, 1959; the EMI Classics recording of Die Lustige Witwe, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst; the 1960 Decca recording of Die Fledermaus, conducted by Herbert von Karajan; excerpts from Rose Marie from a Pearl Historical recording of Oscar Hammerstein—the Legacy; and from the 1955 film of Oklahoma starring Gordon MacRae.

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Singspiel (that’s German for SongPlay) mixes songs, dialogues, choruses, and marvelous orchestral writing with fun and fantasy for a lowbrow, family friendly art form—the ancestor of today’s Star Wars movies. Mozart’s ever-popular Magic Flute is the perfect introduction to Singspiel, as well as one of the most beloved operas ever written. Another wonderful Singspiel, Weber’s Der Freischütz, demonstrates the power of this form to send a wonderfully creepy chill down your spine.

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from Seattle Opera productions of The Magic Flute, 2017, conducted by Julia Jones and starring John Moore, Andrew Stenson, and Christina Poulitsi; Der Freischütz, 1999, conducted by Gerard Schwarz and starring Harry Peeters and Gabor Andrasy; Fidelio, 2003, conducted by Gerard Schwarz and starring Jane Eaglen and Kevin Langan; The Flying Dutchman, 2016, conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing; also Marschner’s Hans Heiling conducted by Ewald Körner (Marco Polo 1992); Fidelio starring Lucia Popp, Adolf Dallapozza, Gundula Janowitz, and René Kollo and conducted by Leonard Bernstein (Deutsche Gramophon, 1978); Der Stein der Weisen, Jane Giering-De Haan and Kevin Deas conducted by Martin Pearlman (Telarc, 1999); and the 1993 EMI recording of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Stay tuned for one more podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Opéra comique, a native French form of lower-brow musical theater, features spoken dialogue, catchy tunes with easy-to-sing refrains, and middle-class values. Many of the opéra-comiques still performed today (including Carmen, The Daughter of the Regiment, and Beatrice and Benedict, as well as opéra-comique derivatives such as Faust and The Tales of Hoffmann) deal, sentimentally or ironically, with a way of life and a value system which now belongs mostly to ancient history.

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from Seattle Opera recordings of Carmen, 2019, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti; Beatrice and Benedict, 2018, conducted by Ludovic Morlot; Les contes d’Hoffmann, 2014, conducted by Yves Abel and starring Leah Partridge, Alfred Walker, and Tichina Vaughn; La fille du régiment starring Spiro Malas, Monica Sinclair, Joan Sutherland, and Luciano Pavarotti and conducted by Richard Bonynge (Decca 1967); Richard Coeur de Lion starring Michel Trempont and conducted by Edgard Doneux (EMI Classics 1956); and Faust, starring Victoria de los Angeles and Boris Christoff, conducted by André Cluytens (EMI 1953).

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Opera buffa, the beloved old Italian tradition of opera comedy, is what you get by adding music to the even older Italian tradition of improvised (artisanal) comedy, commedia dell’arte. The fools and buffoons of commedia—the sassy wenches, befuddled old professors, suicidal young lovers, dirty old misers, hungry Harlequins, arrogant soldiers, zany servants, and all the rest—found new ways of entertaining us once they began singing gloriously. And with the opera orchestra functioning as a laugh track and adding jokes of its own, opera buffa continues to disarm us and charm us while putting a big grin on our faces. The Barber of Seville and The Elixir of Love are great examples of the genre.

Musical examples on the podcast drawn from Seattle Opera recordings of La Cenerentola, 2013, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti; The Barber of Seville, 2011, conducted by Dean Williamson and starring José Carbo and Lawrence Brownlee; The Marriage of Figaro, 2009, conducted by Dean Williamson and starring Nicolas Cavallier and Barry Johnson; Così fan tutte, 2006, conducted by Andreas Mitisek; the 1986 Hungaroton recording of La serva padrona, starring Katalin Farkas and Jozsef Gregor, with Capella Savaria conducted by Pal Nemeth; Falstaff, conducted by Karajan and starring Luigi Alva, soloists, and the Philharmonia Orchestra (Columbia 1956); Gianni Schicchi, conducted by Antonio Pappano (EMI 1998); and L’elisir d’amore, Ileana Cotrubas, Geraint Evans, and the orchestra of Covent Garden conducted by John Pritchard (Columbia 1977)

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Verismo was a late nineteenth-century reaction against the excesses of the great tradition. The aim was immediate, powerful, realistic opera, with post-Wagnerian music of titanic passion setting stories about simple, everyday, relatable characters. The vogue for verismo dominated opera as the older art form gave birth to the cinema. Leoncavallo’s masterpiece Pagliacci (1892) serves as a well-known example of verismo; Il tabarro (1918), by Puccini, isn’t so well-known but is every bit as great.

Musical examples on the podcast drawn from Seattle Opera recordings of Andrea Chenier, 1996, conducted by Steven Mercurio; La bohème, 2007, conducted by Vjekoslav Sutej and starring Karen Driscoll and Philip Cutlip; Turandot, 2012, conducted by Asher Fisch and starring Antonello Palombi; the 1953 EMI Classics recording of PAGLIACCI conducted by Renato Cellini; and the 1956 EMI recording of Il tabarro conducted by Vincenzo Bellezza and starring Tito Gobbi and Margaret Mas.

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

Dacia Clay, KING FM Creative Director and host of the Classical Classroom Podcast, chats with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean about Pushkin, the great Russian poet, novelist, and playwright. Pushkin’s brilliant works have almost all been transformed into operas, composed by generations of Russian composers. In Part One, Clay and Dean give an overview of Pushkin’s brief and colorful life. In Part Two, they start discussing the operas, focusing on Boris Godunov and Eugene Onegin.

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Music Drama was the personal solution to the problems of presenting opera in nineteenth-century Europe developed by composer/librettist Richard Wagner, opera’s ultimate mad genius. These long, loud, big works challenge artists, audiences, and the art form itself. Their complex music and unique spins on old stories continue to attract, repel, and provoke all who encounter them. Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (1865) serves as an example of the genre, as does the Richard Strauss opera Elektra (1909).

Musical examples on this podcast drawn from Seattle Opera productions of Lohengrin 1994, conducted by Hermann Michael; Parsifal 2003, conducted by Asher Fisch and starring Stephen Milling; Die Walküre, conducted by Robert Spano, 2005 (starring Jane Eaglen) and 2009; Siegfried, 2013, conducted by Asher Fisch; and Tristan und Isolde (1998, conducted by Armin Jordan and starring Jane Eaglen and Ben Heppner; 2010, conducted by Asher Fisch; opening and English horn solo from the 1966 Bayreuth Festival recording conducted by Karl Böhm; conclusion of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Karajan (Deutsche Gramophon 1977); Elektra, Astrid Varnay and Leonie Rysanek with the orchestra of West German Radio conducted by Richard Kraus (Melodram 1953).

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

Dacia Clay, KING FM Creative Director and host of the Classical Classroom Podcast, chats with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean about Pushkin, the great Russian poet, novelist, and playwright. Pushkin’s brilliant works have almost all been transformed into operas, composed by generations of Russian composers. In Part One, Clay and Dean give an overview of Pushkin’s brief and colorful life. In Part Two, they start discussing the operas, focusing on Boris Godunov and Eugene Onegin.

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Bel Canto Melodrama refers to for serious Italian opera from the first part of the nineteenth century—when opera singing was about dazzling trapeze acts, and opera plots tended toward the wild, far-fetched, and grotesque. Inspired by their newfound obsession with Shakespeare, Europe’s Romantic generation created some of opera’s most enduringly popular works, including Verdi’s Rigoletto and Bellini’s Norma.

Musical examples on the podcast drawn from Seattle Opera recordings of Rigoletto: from 1995, conducted by Phil Kelsey and starring Harolyn Blackwell; and from 2019, conducted by Carlo Montanaro and starring Giuseppe Altomare and Yongzhao Yu: and Seattle Opera Normas, both conducted by Edoardo Mueller, from 2003 starring Sally Wolf; and from 1994 starring Jane Eaglen. Also, Verdi’s Il trovatore conducted by Tullio Serafin (Deutsche Gramophon, 1962); and Rossini’s L’assedio di Corinto, Marilyn Horne conducted by Henry Lewis (Decca, 1973).

Stay tuned for another podcast introducing another kind of opera next week!

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Grand opera developed in the mid-19th century and centered on performances at the Opéra in Paris. The roots of the genre stretch back to the opulent court of France’s Sun King, Louis XIV, and continue to influence how opera is presented to this day. Verdi’s Aida (1871) is probably the world’s favorite grand opera (although it’s not necessarily a textbook example of the genre, since it wasn’t written for the Opéra, is sung in Italian, and is briefer and more straightforward than most grand operas). Another beloved masterpiece is Wagner’s Tannhäuser (1845), a work retro-fitted in 1861 for performance at the Opéra.

Musical examples on the podcast drawn from recordings of Verdi’s Don Carlos (first entrance of Philip II), Vienna Staatsoper performance conducted by Bertrand De Billy, (Premiere Opera Ltd. 2004); “Le divertissement royal – Danse de Neptune” from Lully: l’Orchestre du Roi Soleil, Le Concert des Nations led by Jordi Savall (Alia Vox Spain 1999); Don Carlos (conclusion), soloists, chorus, and orchestra of La Scala conducted by Claudio Abbado (Deutsche Gramophon, 1984); Seattle Opera’s 2018 Aida, starring Alexandra LoBianco, David Pomeroy, Elena Gabouri, chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera conducted by John Fiore; and Tannhäuser (Venusberg Ballet), Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Daniel Barenboim (Teldec 2002).

In this series of podcasts, Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean gives listeners a taste of nine different types of traditional opera. Opera seria, traditional Italian serious opera, developed in the mid-1600s and lasted into the early 1800s. Handel’s Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar), an opera from 1724, is a great masterpiece and an examplar of the genre; another is Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (aka Orphée et Eurydice, aka Orpheus and Euridice, 1762/1774).

Musical examples on the podcast drawn from recordings of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Mark Minkowski (Archiv 1999); Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Della Jones and Mark Tucker with the City of London Baroque Sinfonia conducted by Richard Hickox (Virgin Classics 1988); Gluck’s Alceste, Kirsten Flagstad and Geraint Jones Orchestra conducted by Geraint Jones (Decca 1956); Ercole sul Termodonte, Topi Lehtipuu and Rolando Villazón conducted by Fabio Biondi (Virgin Classics 2009); Giulio Cesare, Anne Sofie von Otter, Marijana Mijanović, Magdalena Kožená, and Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Mark Minkowski (Archiv 2002); also Giulio Cesare, Derek Lee Ragin and Concerto Köln conducted by René Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi 1991); Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, Maria Callas and Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, 1961; and Seattle Opera’s 2015 production of Semele conducted by Gary Thor Wedow.

“Men die and governments change, but the songs of La bohème will live forever,” wrote Thomas Alva Edison to Giacomo Puccini. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces La bohème, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s archival recordings of La bohème: from 2007, with Rosario La Spina (Rodolfo) and Nuccia Focile (Mimì), conducted by Vjekoslav Sutej; and from 2013, with Andrew Garland (Schaunard), Arthur Woodley (Colline), Michael Fabiano (Rodolfo), Keith Phares (Marcello), and Jennifer Black (Mimì), conducted by Carlo Montanaro.

Seattle’s jazz community is getting excited about Charlie Parker’s Yardbird. Tenor Joshua Stewart, who makes his Seattle Opera debut as Charlie Parker (a role he has now sung in many other cities), visited radio station KNKX, 88.5 FM, Seattle’s connection to Jazz, Blues, and NPR. He brought with him David McDade, Seattle Opera’s Head of Coach-Accompanists, and sang some of the arias he sings in this opera—as well as a special treat. Thanks to Robin Lloyd of KNKX for hosting this interview and sharing it with us.

Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette Wimberly, composer and librettist of CHARLIE PARKER’S YARDBIRD, talked about this exciting new opera the other night with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean and Abe Beeson of radio station KNKX, Seattle’s connection to jazz and blues. An edited version of that interview, this podcast offers windows into how Wimberly found the story of several women who loved a musican, how Schnyder bridged the worlds of ‘classical’ music and jazz, and how their opera evolved. You’ll hear brief excerpts from the opera (including a special example of Schnyder playing the role of Charlie on a soprano sax), a clip from Schnyder’s oratorio “SUNDIATA KEITA,” a snatch of Charlie & Dizzy jamming, and the voice of the real-life Charlie Parker.

After our performances of Eugene Onegin in January 2020 audiences stayed to discuss the show with cast, crew, and staff. Hear highlights from those post-show Q&As. In addition to audience members, voices include those of Tomer Zvulun (Original Production Director), Stephanie Havey (Associate Director), Aleksandar Marković (Conductor), Michael Adams (Onegin), Marina Costa-Jackson (Tatyana—bonus pinch of Miriam and Ginger Costa-Jackson singing Lakmé’s Flower Duet also included!), David Leigh (Prince Gremin), Margaret Gawyrsiak (Mme. Larina), Meredith Arwady (Filipevna), and John Moore (Onegin). Christina Scheppelmann (General Director) and Jonathan Dean (Dramaturg) hosted the discussions.

A new opera that combines jazz and classical? Charlie Parker’s Yardbird is about music, creativity, communication, race and racism, drugs and addiction, and life and death and freedom. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces this new opera with music by Daniel Schnyder and a libretto by Bridgette A. Wimberly. Musical examples from an Opera Philadelphia performance, starring Lawrence Brownlee as Charlie Parker, Will Liverman as Dizzy Gillespie, Angela Brown as Addie, Emily Pogorelc as Chan, Elena Perroni as Doris, Chrystal E. Williams as Rebecca, and Tamara Mumford as Nica. The Opera Philadelphia orchestra is conducted by Corrado Rovaris.

Tosca is both a great opera for newbies to the art form and a rewarding piece to hear multiple times; it’s accessible—a ‘thriller’ as cinematic as any Hollywood classic—and also stacked with layers of sumptuous artistry to savor. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Tosca, with musical examples from Seattle Opera archival recordings of Tosca made in 2001, 2007, and 2015 and featuring Stefano Secco and Frank Porretta, Jr. as Cavaradossi, Greer Grimsley as Scarpia, and Marcy Stonikas, Ausrine Stundyte, Lisa Daltirus, and Carol Vaness as Tosca. The chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera were conducted by Antonello Allemandi in 2001, Vjekoslav Sutej in 2007, and Julian Kovatchev in 2015.

One of late twentieth-century opera’s great successes, Flight, with music by Jonathan Dove to a libretto by April DeAngelis, makes a long-awaited Seattle premiere in 2021. This “Marriage of Figaro for the 1990s” is a bold and beautiful opera, with a message more pertinent than ever. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Flight, with musical examples from the commercially available recording, available from Chandos records at https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%2010197. David Parry conducted the Glyndebourne Festival Orchestra in 2003, and the cast includes Christopher Robson as the Refugee, Claron McFadden as the Controller, Richard Coxon and Mary Plazas as Bill and Tiny, Nuala Willis as the Older Woman, Ann Taylor and Garry Magee as the Stewardess and Steward, and Steven Page and Anne Mason as the Minskman and Minskwoman.

A new production of Mozart’s classic promises a fresh look at the legendary seducer and how he is punished. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the music and characters of Don Giovanni, with musical examples from Seattle Opera archival recordings of Don Giovanni from 1991, conducted by Gerard Schwarz; 1999, conducted by Klaus Donath, 2007, conducted by Andreas Mitisek; and 2014, conducted by Gary Thor Wedow. Voices include Vladimir Ognovienko as the Commendatore, Eduardo Chama, Ashraf Sewailam, and Kevin Langan as Leporello, Franzita Whelan, Sally Wolf, and Alexandra LoBianco as Donna Anna, Kurt Streit, Lawrence Brownlee, and Randall Bills as Don Ottavio, Elizabeth Caballero and Christine Goerke as Donna Elvira, Mark Walters, Marius Kwiecien, and Jason Howard as Don Giovanni, Anna Steiger, Laura Polvarelli, and Cecelia Hall as Zerlina, and John Kuether, Evan Boyer, and Chester Patton as Masetto.

A smile full of sunshine comes to Seattle Opera with the return of Donizetti’s endearing comedy. The story of The Elixir of Love concerns the adventures of a bottle of Bordeaux; but the music is as sweet and gentle as the lightest possible tiramisù. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The Elixir of Love, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 1998 archival recording, starring Rafael Rojas and Vinson Cole as Nemorino, Jane Giering-De Haan as Adina, Jason Howard as Belcore, and Julian Patrick as Dr. Dulcamara. John DeMain conducted the chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera.

Together again at Seattle Opera after almost four decades, Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci comprise Italian opera’s most beloved double-bill. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Cav/Pag, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 1990 archival recording of Cavalleria rusticana, conducted by Cal Stewart Kellog with Makvala Kasrashvili as Santuzza, James Hoback as Turridu, Cristiane Young as Lola, and Ron Peo as Alfio; and 2008 archival recording of Pagliacci, with Antonello Palombi as Canio, Nuccia Focile as Nedda, Morgan Smith as Silvio, and Gordon Hawkins as Tonio. Special examples feature Fiorenza Cossotto as Santuzza and Enrico Caruso as Canio.

Naomi André, a professor at the University of Michigan, has been a familiar presence at Seattle Opera for a couple seasons now; she helped us explore racial representation, casting, and what it means to support storytellers of color in 2018, as we were presenting Porgy and Bess, and last spring moderated a Carmen-related forum on “Decolonizing Allure: Women Artists of Color in Conversation.” Recently, she joined Seattle Opera as our first-ever Scholar-in-Residence. We’re delighted to have Dr. André on our team, and in this podcast she discusses her scholarly work—as well as Beyoncé, the exciting opera scene in today’s South Africa, Jessye Norman, and many other topics—with Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Seattle Opera’s Director of Programs and Partnerships.

Tchaikovsky’s most beloved opera is a breathtaking and unique work about the human heart. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Eugene Onegin, with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s 2002 archival recording of Eugene Onegin, starring Vladimir Chernov as Onegin, Kurt Streit as Lensky, Helene Schneidermann as Olga, Nuccia Focile in her Seattle Opera debut as Tatyana, and Alexander Anisimov as Prince Gremin. Andreas Mitisek conducted the chorus and orchestra of Seattle Opera. Excerpt of Lensky’s aria sung by William Burden at the 2014 Speight Celebration, conducted by Sebastian Lang-Lessing.

Michelle Martin, Beverly Cleary Endowed Professor for Children and Youth Services at UW’s Information School, discusses the world’s many "Cinderella" stories with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. They talk about Cinderellas onstage, on screen, and in the oral tradition; about sweet Disney princesses and plucky heroines (and heroes), wicked and/or ugly step-sisters, mothers who turn into carp, incestuous fathers, mutilated feet, delicious cactus recipes, a prince who’s a snake and another who’s invisible, and a donkey that poops gold coins. Explore the diverse and amazing world of folk-lore—and modern rewrites—as you prepare for Rossini’s wonderful La Cenerentola.

Rossini’s La Cenerentola combines the human warmth of the beloved Cinderella story with the wit and sparkle of The Barber of Seville. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces La Cenerentola with musical examples from Seattle Opera’s archival recordings of La Cenerentola: from 1996, with Laura Polvarelli (Cenerentola), Gregory Kunde (Don Ramiro), Robert Orth (Dandini), Jan Opalach (Alidoro), Julian Patrick (Don Magnfico), Louise Marley (Tisbe), and Sally Wolf (Clorinda), conducted by Yves Abel; and from 2013, with Karin Mushegain (Cenerentola), Edgardo Rocha (Ramiro), Brett Polegato (Dandini), Arthur Woodley (Alidoro), Sarah Larsen (Tisbe), Dana Pundt (Clorinda), Patrick Carfizzi (Don Magnifico), conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti. Special example of Kate Lindsey singing Cenerentola’s rondo at 2014’s Speight Gala conducted by Carlo Montanaro.

This August Seattle Opera presents Lindy Hume’s production of RIGOLETTO, originally created for New Zealand Opera in 2012. Designed by Richard Roberts and lit by Jason Morphett, this RIGOLETTO sets the Victor Hugo story which inspired Giuseppe Verdi’s amazing music in an uncomfortably recognizable modern world of haves and have-nots, power-hungry men and disadvantaged women.

On July 23, Hume discussed her production with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. They talked about the curse, the cruelty of laughter, and what happens when you produce an old-fashioned opera like RIGOLETTO in a post-#MeToo world. Hume shared fascinating insights into RIGOLETTO’s female characters, not just Gilda and Maddalena (the archetypal virgin and whore) but also Countess Ceprano, Monterone’s daughter, Giovanna the housekeeper, the Duchess, and the Page. This podcast features highlights from their conversation.

Verdi’s unflinching tragedy about sexual politics is one of opera’s greatest masterpieces. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces Rigoletto, with musical examples drawn from Seattle Opera’s archival recordings of Rigoletto: from 2004 with Frank Lopardo (Duke of Mantua), Norah Amsellem (Gilda), and Kim Josephson (Rigoletto), conducted by Edoardo Mueller; and from 2014 with Francesco Demuro (Duke of Mantua), Jennifer Zetlan (Gilda), Hyung Yun and Marco Vratogna (Rigoletto), Andrea Silvestrelli (Sparafucile), and Sarah Larsen (Maddalena), conducted by Riccardo Frizza. Quartet excerpt from the quartet recorded at Meany Hall in 2013 at the Seattle Opera Young Artists’ Program Viva Verdi concert, with Theo Lebow as the Duke, Deborah Nansteel as Maddalena, Dana Pundt as Gilda, and Hunter Enoch as Rigoletto, conducted by Brian Garman.

Come down to the bassment and enjoy the deep sound of the bass and bass-baritone voices with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean. Basses play dads, priests, kings, old bearded guys, God, and the Devil; they get to be evil, they get to be funny, and they always sing with great authority. Includes a 4-pack bass sampler from BORIS GODUNOV, a taste test of Hagens from GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, and a buffo bass patter race. Musical examples feature favorite Seattle Opera basses and bass-baritones including Kevin Langan, Richard Best, Peter Rose, Ante Jerkunica, John Relyea, Gabor Andrasy, Nicolas Cavallier, Alexander Anisimov, Arthur Woodley, Eduardo Chama, Shenyang, Ashraf Sewailam, Greer Grimsley, Vladimir Ognovienko, baritone Marius Kwiecien, Alfred Walker, William Wildermann, John Macurdy, Simon Estes, John Del Carlo, Monte Pederson, Kevin Short, and Stephen Milling.

There’s a lot going on in a glorious opera like Carmen: principal singers, chorus, orchestra, dancers, actors, costumes, sets, lights, fight scenes, wigs, drama! How on earth does something with so many moving parts manage to make it to the stage? Dacia Clay, of Classical KING FM 98.1 and the terrific Classical Classroom podcast, enjoyed a command performance of the show. She seized the opportunity to interrupt the opera and question the cast and crew about their role in bringing this magnificent beast of an opera to life. Learn all about the story – the one the audience sees and the one behind the stage – in this special Seattle Opera Podcast/Classical Classroom crossover episode. 

All music in this episode from Seattle Opera’s performances of Carmen. Special thanks to Cellist Meeka Quan DiLorenzo, Director Paul Curran, Chorus Mezzo soprano Susan Salas, Mezzo soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, Assistant Lighting Designer Connie Yun, Fight Choreographer Geoff Alm, Tenor Scott Quinn, Baritone Rodion Pogossov, Wigmaster Ashlee Naegle, and Conductor Giacomo Sagripanti.

Carmen runs May 4 to 19, 2019 at Seattle Opera! Seattleopera.org/carmen for more info.