Seattle Opera to Present Recitals by Gabriela Lena Frank and Jamie Barton

Seattle Opera will present a pair of intimate recitals at the Opera Center this November, showcasing voices the company describes as among the most dynamic and engaging working in opera today. The first, on November 13, is an evening of music by Gabriela Lena Frank, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of El último sueño de Frida y Diego, which arrives at Seattle Opera in January. The second, on November 21, features mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, 'opera's nose-studded rock star' (The New York Times), in recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly.

'The works you see on the mainstage are just a small glimpse into the wider world of opera, so we offer recitals like these to show off the variety and breadth of expression vocal music has to offer,' said General and Artistic Director James Robinson. 'Not only is there so much wonderful music in store on these two programs, but audiences will also get the chance to hear from some tremendous artists who have taken the opera world by storm. I'm excited for this opportunity to highlight the many ways that opera is a living, breathing artform.'

Gabriela Lena Frank: A Musical Portrait on Friday, November 13, is presented in partnership with Classical KING as part of their Northwest Focus Live series, and will also be broadcast live on the radio. The recital features a new arrangement for string quartet and mezzo-soprano of the aria 'El mundo' from the upcoming El último sueño de Frida y Diego in addition to her string quartet Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout and selections from her vocal works Cuatro Canciones Andinas and Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino and baritone Eleomar Cuello will be joined by pianist Jay Rozendaal and a string quartet comprising members of the Seattle Symphony.

'It's always so difficult to curate these kinds of concerts, like picking just four photos from an album of your life,' said Gabriela Lena Frank, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2026. 'Nevertheless, we selected a broad sample of repertoire to represent who I am as a composer. The program includes some songs inspired by the culture of my ancestral homeland of Perú, a song cycle inspired by Nicaragua and Latin American history more broadly, a string quartet that marked a turning point in my career, and, of course, a selection from the upcoming opera. In all of the works, you can see my hallmarks—colorful uses of the instruments, drama, and storytelling prevalent everywhere in the songs.'

Jamie Barton in Recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly on Saturday, November 21, features a mix of styles by a diverse set of composers. Audiences can look forward to hearing everything from operatic favorites like 'Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix' from Camille Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah to hidden gems like Libby Larsen's Love after 1950.

'This is the music that utterly lights me up,' said Jamie Barton, who made her Seattle Opera debut in Nabucco in 2015. 'In this recital, Kathy and I are sharing repertoire we've fallen in love with over the course of our nearly 20-year collaboration. It makes for quite an eclectic journey through composers and texts that we adore. There are pieces the audience might already know and a few others which will likely be new. Doing what we love has really resonated with the audiences we've had the pleasure of performing for so far on this tour, and we're looking forward to sharing the experience with Seattle audiences.'

Event Details

Gabriela Lena Frank: A Musical Portrait

Friday, November 13, at 7:00 PM, the Opera Center

Includes selections from the composer's works El último sueño de Frida y Diego, Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea, and Cuatro Canciones Andinas. Tickets available at seattleopera.org/frank.

Composer: Gabriela Lena Frank

Mezzo-soprano: Sarah Saturnino

Baritone: Eleomar Cuello

Piano: Jay Rozendaal

Jamie Barton in Recital with pianist Kathleen Kelly

Saturday, November 21, at 7:30 PM, the Opera Center

Includes works by Clara Schumann, Camille Saint-Saëns, Libby Larsen, Henri Duparc, Melissa Dunphy, and more. More information at seattleopera.org/jamiebarton. Tickets extremely limited, contact box office for latest availability.

Mezzo-soprano: Jamie Barton

Piano: Kathleen Kelly

About Gabriela Lena Frank

Included in The Washington Post's list of the most significant women composers in history (2017), Gabriela Lena Frank has long centered her music around her multi-faceted heritage. Born in 1972 to a mother of Peruvian/Chinese ancestry and a father of Lithuanian/Jewish descent, Gabriela has been commissioned or performed by all of the major orchestras in the United States, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, where she served as composer-in-residence from 2018 through the premiere of Picaflor: A Future Myth in 2025 under the baton of Marin Alsop, for which she was awarded the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Her first opera, El último sueño de Frida y Diego, with a libretto by her frequent collaborator, the Pulitzer-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, was commissioned by San Francisco Opera and San Diego Opera for the 2022-23 season. In the spring of 2026, it received a new production at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Seguín. She is currently at work on her second opera, commissioned by Houston Grand Opera and The Metropolitan Opera.

About Jamie Barton

Critically acclaimed by virtually every major outlet covering classical music, American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is increasingly recognized for how she uses her powerful instrument offstage—lifting up women, queer people, and other marginalized communities. Her lively social media presence on Instagram and Twitter (@jbartonmezzo) serves as a hub for conversations about body positivity, social justice issues, and LGBTQ+ rights. This season, Barton stars as Sister Helen Prejean in a highly anticipated 25th anniversary production of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at San Francisco Opera. She returns to Houston Grand Opera for a series of role debuts, including Frugola, Zia Principessa, and Zita in Puccini's Il trittico, as well as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, and she brings her acclaimed Ježibaba to performances of Rusalka at Bayerische Staatsoper and Opéra National de Paris. Elsewhere, she appears in concert with Houston Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra, and in recital with Opera Memphis and Arizona Opera with Tucson Desert Song Festival. Following the fulfillment of a long-held dream to create a role in a new opera by Jake Heggie, her work as Elizabeth Van Lew in Heggie's Intelligence at Houston Grand Opera will be released on a world premiere recording on the LSO Live label.

About Kathleen Kelly

Kathleen Kelly's practice combines her skills as pianist, coach, conductor, writer, and advocate. During the 2025/26 season, she will join both Jamie Barton and Ryan McKinny in recitals, lead the Texas premiere of Michael Ching's opera Notes on Viardot for Baylor Opera Theater, and return to the New National Theater Opera Studio in Tokyo to lead performances of Gianni Schicchi. She also introduced the groundbreaking Collaborative Piano Playbook for the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society with co-author Elvia Puccinelli. Recent notable projects include her chapter on current industry practice for Chanda Vanderhart's book Accompaniment in America, her acclaimed recording FORCE OF NATURE with soprano Emily Albrink, and her performance in the filmed opera INTERSTATE. Her international performing credits include appearances at Wigmore Hall, Weill Hall, Zankel Hall, the Kennedy Center, Spivey Hall, and Vienna's Musikverein. She has been part of the musical teams at the San Francisco, Metropolitan, Houston Grand, Seattle, and Vienna State Operas, and is a regular guest coach for the New National Theater Tokyo Opera Studio. Her work has been published in VAN Magazine and The Journal of Singing. She is the Director of the Vocal Studies Division at Baylor University.

About Seattle Opera

Established in 1963, Seattle Opera is committed to serving the people of the Pacific Northwest through music, storytelling, and programs for people of all ages. Each year, more than 50,000 people attend the company's performances, and more than 100,000 people are served through school performances, radio broadcasts, and more. The organization brings opera to life in several ways, offering artistic performances of the highest caliber through national and international collaborations. Seattle Opera strives to create an environment where artists, staff, behind-the-scenes workers, and members of the community feel a strong connection to the company, and to the art of opera. As one of the largest arts organizations in the Pacific Northwest, Seattle Opera employs more than 750 people annually and is an essential component of the region's economy.