Seattle Opera Announces 2007/08 Season

Seattle Opera's general director, Speight Jenkins, officially announced the company's 2007/08 season. The season begins August 4, 2007 and runs through May 17, 2008 with performances at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall. The 2007/08 season opens with Wagner's Flying Dutchman (Der fliegende Holländer) in August, followed by the premiere of a new co-production with the Metropolitan Opera of Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris (Iphigénie en Tauride) in October, 2007.

In January 2008, Seattle Opera presents Leoncavallo's beloved classic Pagliacci, featuring the brilliance of tenor Antonello Palombi as Canio and the stunning soprano Nuccia Focile as Nedda (also heard earlier as Iphigenia). Director Chris Alexander's production of Puccini's Tosca follows in February and March 2008. The season concludes in May 2008, with the Seattle premiere of Bellini's Puritani, one of the greatest bel canto operas ever composed.

"For my 25th season as general director of Seattle Opera, I am delighted to offer five very intense and theatrical works containing some of opera's greatest moments," said Speight Jenkins. "Our casts are largely American, but also include singers from many countries, and they represent the best of opera today. I hope that the passion of those onstage will be equaled by the response of our audiences."

In 2008, Speight Jenkins will celebrate his twenty-fifth anniversary as general director of Seattle Opera. Jenkins is recognized nationally as a leading authority on opera, a politically active arts advocate, and one of the most influential general directors in the country. He was listed by Opera News in 2006 as one of the "25 Most Powerful Names in U.S. Opera". In the spring of 2005, Jenkins became the first company director to receive the Anton Seidl Award from the Wagner Society of New York in acknowledgment for his "new and stimulating productions of all the canonical Wagner music dramas" as well as his work on the Ring. His knowledge of opera is reflected in his casting, innovative productions, substantial publications, and comprehensive education programs and services.

The dynamic team of director Stephen Wadsworth, designer Thomas Lynch, and lighting designer Peter Kaczorowski, acclaimed by Seattle audiences for their work on Seattle Opera's current Ring cycle, opens the season with Seattle Opera's revival of Flying Dutchman. Tony award-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz rejoins the Ring team for the new production of Iphigenia in Tauris, Seattle Opera's first-ever collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera.

From soprano Jane Eaglen and heroic baritone Greer Grimsley in Wagner's Flying Dutchman, to soprano Nuccia Focile and tenor William Burden in Iphigenia, to tenor Antonello Palombi and baritone Gordon Hawkins in Pagliacci, Seattle Opera's 44th season will offer a thrilling array of artists who have proved themselves to Seattle audiences, in combination with a compelling collection of newcomers such as bass Daniel Sumegi ((Daland) in Dutchman and sopranos Lisa Daltirus and Michele Capalbo (the two Toscas), and tenors Frank Poretta and Brandon Javonovich (the two Cavaradossis) in Tosca.

Seattle Opera's 2007/08 season closes in May, 2008 with I Puritani, a work of consummate genius that is performed rarely because it demands such a wide range from all four principals. The opera is known for its two brilliant quartets, which will include sopranos Norah Amsellem and Eglise Gutiérrez (the Elviras), tenors Lawrence Brownlee and John Osborn (the Arturos), baritones Mariusz Kwiecien and Morgan Smith (the Riccardos), and basses John Relyea and Denis Sedov (the Georgios). New set designs by Robert A. Dahlstrom and lavish period costumes from the Metropolitan Opera designed by Peter J. Hall will provide a sumptuous atmosphere for Seattle audiences.

"This is a year marked by our first co-production with the Metropolitan Opera," said Jenkins. "These five works explore different styles of composing, and each opera offers a very different aspect of life. The unifying theme in all is an emphasis on human desire." -- www.seattleopera.org