Seattle Opera and Classical KING to Host Annual Opera Center Open House

Seattle Opera and Classical KING will give audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of two of Seattle's premiere arts organizations in the annual Opera Center Open House on Saturday, September 26. Visitors are invited to tour the Opera Center's world-class facilities, hear live performances from musicians from across the region, and make some art of their own alongside a variety of community partners. Free events and activities are scheduled throughout the day from 1:00 to 4:00 PM, and attendees are encouraged to come and go as they please.

“The Open House is one of my favorite events of the season because it's our chance to showcase the ways opera is a community-based art form,” said General and Artistic Director James Robinson. “We couldn't put opera on stage without the family of artists, musicians, craftspeople, and administrators across the Pacific Northwest who work tirelessly to make this region a cultural hub. By inviting the public into our building to see the inner workings of an opera company and engage with our partner organizations, I hope we can provide audiences with both a deeper appreciation for how much work goes into making opera and a better understanding of how they can support our broader arts community.”

In preparation for Seattle Opera's January production of El último sueño de Frida y Diego, the new opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gabriela Lena Frank and Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Nilo Cruz, the Open House will celebrate the thriving Mexican arts and culture community in the Pacific Northwest. Visitors can enjoy a performance from the accomplished mariachi musicians from the Highline School District, contribute to a community mural and hear a panel discussion on Chicana/o arts traditions by Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery, and learn more about a variety of arts and culture organizations who will be tabling in the lobby.

Seattle Opera will preview the rest of the 2026/27 season with a Season Preview Concert featuring highlights from the slate of mainstage operas, a conversation with General and Artistic Director James Robinson and Dramaturg Jonathan Dean about the artists and titles they are most excited to see, and a live feed of a working rehearsal of Salome, which opens the season on October 17.

Other performances featured throughout the day include a recital by winners of the Seattle Opera Guild's annual Singer Development Award and a showcase by members of Youth Opera Project.

Visitors can learn more about how opera is brought to the stage by touring Seattle Opera's Costume Shop and Props Department, where they will hear from Seattle Opera's skilled artisans and admire decades worth of costumes and objects from past Seattle Opera productions. Tours will also be offered of the broadcast studios of Classical KING, which will be live on air highlighting the diversity of artists and community partners participating in the Open House.

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