James Robinson News

Seattle Opera will present CARMEN, featuring Grammy-winning mezzos J'Nai Bridges and Sasha Cooke, from May 2-17, 2026 at McCaw Hall. Learn more about the production here!

The Metropolitan Opera has revealed its 2026–27 season, featuring five new and 12 repertory productions, a special 60th-anniversary gala, and performances of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

The full lineup of titles and artists has been revealed for Seattle Opera's 2026/27 season. An exploration of love in all its facets, the company's 63rd season features two classic operas returning to Seattle for the first time in a quarter century.

Houston Grand Opera has announced that internationally celebrated Finnish-American tenor Miles Mykkanen will perform the lead role of Nikolaus Sprink in Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night.

General and Artistic Director James Robinson revealed three new appointments to run Seattle Opera’s departments of Artistic Administration & Planning and Programs & Partnerships.

This February, Seattle Opera will present the trailblazing opera Fellow Travelers, a gay love story set during the Lavender Scare, a McCarthy-era witch hunt that ousted thousands of gay and lesbian employees from the federal government.

A new performance video features soprano Brittany Renee and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green performing an excerpt from the Act II duet of PORGY AND BESS. 

What did our critic think of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR at Ordway Center For The Performing Arts?

When I read that the Met, in the program notes for James Robinson’s production of PORGY AND BESS, called it “a supremely American operatic masterpiece” I couldn’t help but think of Stephen Sondheim’s answer (perhaps apocryphal) when he was asked whether SWEENEY TODD was an opera or a musical: “If it’s done in a theatre, it’s a musical; if it’s in an opera house, it’s an opera.”

This January, Seattle Opera continues its recent tradition of offering concert presentations of rarely heard operas (Samson and Delilah in Concert '23, Les Troyens in Concert '25) with Richard Strauss's one-act pastoral tragedy, Daphne (1938).

Houston Grand Opera will host a panel discussion at the Alliance Française Houston, “Peace in the Trenches: The Story Behind Silent Night.” The conversation will reflect upon Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's 2011 opera, Silent Night.

Houston Grand Opera will launch its winter repertoire on January 23, 2026, with the Houston premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s SILENT NIGHT. Presented in a new co-production with the Metropolitan Opera, the staging marks the first major revision of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work since its 2011 debut.

Seattle Opera announced it will present the world premiere of The Wedding Banquet, a new comic opera by composer Huang Ruo and librettist James Schamus, inspired by Ang Lee’s beloved 1993 film.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul will present Jesus Christ Superstar from December 9–28, 2025. Tickets are available now at Ordway.org.

Works & Process will present The Santa Fe Opera's U.S. Premiere of Lili Elbe, by composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman. Learn more and see how to attend.

Works & Process at the Guggenheim will host a first look at Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s new opera Lili Elbe on October 27, 2025. The opera, starring Lucia Lucas in the title role, will have its U.S. premiere at Santa Fe Opera in August 2026.

“Thorn and Petal,” Daniel Ian Redman’s new play through History Theatre Co., performed at Trinity Theatre in Mission Valley is an intriguing premise with flashes of humor and heart, though one that still feels like it’s finding its shape.

Seattle Opera will open its 2025/26 season with Gilbert and Sullivan's beloved comedy The Pirates of Penzance, marking the first time a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta has been produced at the company.

Seattle Opera will open its doors for its annual Open House on Saturday, October 4, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Opera Center. The free event will celebrate the start of the 2025/26 season with live performances, art exhibits, behind-the-scenes tours, and opportunities to connect with local arts organizations.

Acclaimed stage and screen actress Dawn Steele will return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer in the world premiere of SKYE: A Thriller, a new play by Ellie Keel. Check out photos of the production.