Seattle Opera Appoints New Directors for Artistic, Programs & Partnerships Departments

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

Blaine Inafuku, a seasoned arts leader with wide-ranging experience in the symphonic and operatic fields, is the next Director of Artistic Administration & Planning. Inafuku will lead the department’s operations and oversee casting and programming decisions, working closely with the General and Artistic Director. Sara Litchfield and Lokela Alexander Minami have been appointed Co-Directors of Programs & Partnerships, overseeing Youth Education and Community Engagement, respectively. Litchfield and Minami, committed educators and arts leaders who have both been with Seattle Opera since 2018, will share oversight of the department that serves nearly 50,000 patrons annually through youth programs, community partnerships, and public events. Litchfield and Minami began in their roles in October 2025, while Inafuku started in December.

“Blaine, Sara, and Alex all have long and distinguished track records with Seattle Opera and I am thrilled for them to be able to step into these new roles,” said Robinson. “Blaine has distinguished himself as a generous collaborator and an astute musician. His experience as an active musician performing with our partner organization, the Seattle Symphony, gives him a unique ability to build relationships with the artists who perform at Seattle Opera.”

Of Litchfield and Minami, Robinson said: “Sara and Alex each bring an unparalleled wealth of institutional knowledge to their new roles, along with longstanding relationships with schools and community partners that they have cultivated over several years. They have demonstrated that they work very well together, so this new appointment is a natural fit and I couldn’t be happier to have them running our Programs & Partnerships department.”

Blaine Inafuku has spent his career in artistic administration with premier organizations in Chicago, Santa Barbara, and Seattle, where he has managed high-profile projects at the intersection of music and theater. As Vice President of Artistic Administration at the Santa Barbara Symphony, he produced a staged L’histoire du soldat narrated by Christopher Lloyd, and later managed complex theatrical collaborations at the Seattle Symphony, including Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges and a fully staged Perséphone with renowned production and puppet designer Michael Curry. A graduate of Northwestern University and DePaul University, Inafuku joined Seattle Opera in early 2020 as Associate Director of Artistic Planning and immediately supported the company’s pivot to digital programming during the pandemic, helping deliver a complete filmed season that earned national attention for its innovation.

“Having been part of Seattle’s arts community for several years now, I’ve seen firsthand how cherished Seattle Opera is and how much our work matters to the city,” said Inafuku. “I’m excited to step into this role and build on the work we’ve already started. We have an extraordinary history here, from the legacy of the Ring to the new voices we’re bringing to the stage now. Our work going forward is about honoring the past with timeless stories while making space for timely new perspectives, and I’m looking forward to working with James and the leadership team to shape what’s next, making sure our seasons reflect the community we live in.”

An accomplished percussionist, Inafuku has performed with the Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and can be heard on numerous recordings with the Seattle Symphony.

Lokela Alexander Minami began at Seattle Opera in October 2018 as Community Engagement Manager, followed later that month by Sara Litchfield, who came on board as Youth and Family Programs Manager. In 2022, both were promoted to Associate Director, in which capacities they have continued building the relationships with students, schools, and community partners that make Seattle Opera one of the most impactful arts organizations in the region.

Before arriving at Seattle Opera, Litchfield worked for several years as a teaching artist at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Opera Theater. In her time at Seattle Opera, she has grown the School Opera Tour to encompass nearly 60 schools across the state of Washington and has worked with youth participants in programs like the Youth Opera Project, opera camps, and the Teen Vocal Studio throughout the duration of their K–12 educations. On top of her administrative accomplishments, Litchfield still actively teaches the students in all of her programs, leading sessions on vocal pedagogy, acting, set design, and musicianship.

“Having worked with Alex for several years to shape the department into what it is today, I am excited to continue serving Seattle Opera’s broader communities in this new role,” said Litchfield, a skilled musician who is a current member of the supplemental Seattle Opera Chorus and previously sang with the Chicago Symphony Chorus for ten years. “Seattle Opera has a responsibility to serve the communities we live and work within, and I feel strongly about continuing to foster long-term relationships while helping to build the next generation of opera audiences.”

Minami began at Seattle Opera following three years with international education nonprofit OneWorld Now!, where he built programs for international students and managed world language classes and study abroad programs for underserved high school students in the Seattle area. At Seattle Opera, he has worked with over 100 community partner organizations, managing programs like Seattle Opera’s Veterans Choir and organizing events like the annual Black Artists Market. Through these programs, Minami has worked with distinguished musical ensembles like the US Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus and top scholars like Naomi André, Kira Thurman, and Joy Calico. Minami also regularly delivers Seattle Opera’s pre-performance talks and teaches opera classes like the popular Opera 101.

“I am eager to continue connecting the art form to what’s happening in our city today and to the lives of people in our own communities,” said Minami, who is a painter and has had works exhibited at Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum. “Opera offers many possible touch points for people of different interests, and our goal is to build on that multifaceted nature to create belonging for the many communities that make up our region, especially those furthest from opportunity. It’s so rewarding to find the little sparks that foster collaboration with partner organizations and allow us to co-create innovative programming that shows that opera really is for everyone.”