In honor of Seattle Opera’s newest production of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s masterpiece and to celebrate Pagliacci Pizza’s 45th Anniversary, the Seattle-based pizza maker has created a signature pizza box featuring Sasquatch as the clown. © Pagliacci Pizza Conceived by Coby Shultz, one half of the dynamic duo behind Ames Bros, the Seattle-based graphic design firm, the artwork puts the legendary creature known throughout the Pacific Northwest in an awkward situation. “It’s been impossible to work on this and not belly laugh—the thought of ‘Squatch’ being forced to perform and stuffed into ..read more

Pagliacci climaxes in a show-within-a-show: a performance (which goes completely haywire) of traditional Italian comedy, commedia dell’arte. This ancient theatrical form is perhaps best understood as live-action Looney Tunes. Commedia shows didn’t have much by way of plot. They didn’t use scripts. Instead, stock characters and situations provide a framework for improvised jokes, buffoonery, and rampant silliness. The name commedia dell’arte best translates as “artisanal comedy,” i.e. a bespoke performance, like the kind of cheese sold at a farmer’s market. Yes, they followed a recipe, but it c ..read more

Monica Conesa, the American-Cuban soprano, and Diego Torre, the Mexican-Australian tenor. Both are making their Seattle Opera debuts as Nedda and Canio. Discover how they started, their artistic influences, and favorite past times. Monica Conesa, Soprano A dream come true: This role is very, very special to me because it’s one of the operas that I fell in love with first. As a teenager, I listened to last scene over and over again. I pretended to be Nedda. It’s so dramatic, so incredible. Because this is my role debut, I guess that I’ve been preparing for this moment all my life. It’s been c ..read more

Duke Kim (Count Almaviva) and Megan Moore (Rosina) in The Barber of Seville. © Sunny Martini “The Seattle Opera has done it again, in their wonderful and fun new production of The Barber of Seville (one of Rossini’s greatest comic works). Co-produced by Opera Queensland, Seattle Opera, and New Zealand Opera, all I really need to say about it is “WOW!” –British Theatre Guide “I've never so thoroughly enjoyed "The Barber of Seville" as on opening night of Seattle Opera's production by Lindy Hume. A fantastic debut for Valentina Peleggi, a real singers' conductor who knows how to bring ..read more

By Lindy Hume, director of The Barber of Seville This co-production between Opera Queensland (Australia), Seattle Opera and New Zealand Opera began life in 2016 as a 200th birthday celebration of The Barber of Seville. It followed a similarly joyful collaboration between our companies on a 2014 production of Rossini’s Cinderella. Here in 2024, I’m delighted to say that since their Brisbane debuts, both productions have been well-travelled and warmly embraced by audiences in around the world and across Australasia. It is a delight to revisit our salute to Rossini’s comic genius at a time when ..read more

Kellogg to succeed Scholar-in-Residence Naomi André, who concludes five-year term in May 2024 Seattle Opera's new Artistic Ambassador, Kenneth Kellogg, as Malcolm X in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X in 2024. © Sunny Martini. General Director Christina Scheppelmann announced today the appointment of bass Kenneth Kellogg as Seattle Opera’s inaugural Artistic Ambassador. Kellogg, who recently completed a triumphant run as Malcolm X in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X, takes over for Naomi André, who concludes her impactful five-year term as Seattle Opera’s first Scholar-in-Reside ..read more

Seattle Opera: You were just named Seattle Opera’s Artistic Ambassador for the 2024/25 season. How are you envisioning this role as you prepare to step into it? Kenneth Kellogg: The first thing this new role makes me think of is my elementary school teacher. As a young person, I could always see how much she loved music—it was infectious. It impacted me as a kid, which led me on a path first to enjoying music, and then to music taking over my life. I think of my role as Artistic Ambassador as an extension of that. Music has been a blessing to my life in so many ways: it’s what I think of da ..read more

© Philip Newton Created and directed by Tazewell Thompson Vocal arrangements by Dianne Adams McDowell Orchestrated by Michael Ellis Ingram Nineteenth century. A theater in Nashville, Tennessee. Thirteen members of The Fisk Jubilee Singers are gathering behind the curtain in vocal warmups, preparing to perform their concert of Spirituals. Post show, the singers retreat to the old military barracks set aside by northern abolitionists to house former slaves, now students and teachers of The Fisk Colored School. Eventually changed to Fisk University. While turning over the earth in their ..read more

© Micah Shumake Music by Anthony Davis Libretto by Thulani Davis Story by Christopher Davis ACT I Scene 1: 1931, Lansing, Michigan At the home of Reverend Earl Little and his wife Louise, a meeting is taking place of the local chapter of Marcus Garvey's Universal Improvement Association, and Rev. Little is late. Louise has been tense all day and members of the meeting are concerned about active white supremacist groups terrorizing local people. Louise remembers past attacks that haunt her. A policeman arrives to say that Rev. Little was killed in a streetcar accident. The neighbors p ..read more

USA. Illinois. Chicago. Malcolm X during his visit to enterprises owned by Black Muslims. 1962. © Eve Arnold/Magnum Photos This spring, Seattle Opera is presenting the West Coast premiere of X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. To encourage students to celebrate and engage with this work and Malcolm X’s legacy, we have created this competition for high school juniors and seniors in Washington State. All students, including home-school and charter students, are invited to submit their essays, poems, and visual artwork responding to the following prompt: What aspect of Malcolm X’s legacy ..read more