Last seen at McCaw Hall in 2004, Verdi’s tragedy pits a vengeful court jester against the world when his daughter Gilda falls prey to the womanizing Duke of Mantua. These two homegrown stars, former SO Young Artists, perform against a backdrop originally designed for the Teatro Comunale di Bologna that sets the comedy in the 1940s. Both return this year, with p rincipal guest conductor Asher Fisch-who led the orchestra in this season's Turandot and Fidelio-making his American Ring debut with Seattle Opera.ĭonizetti's comic opera, about an orphaned girl raised by French soldiers, brings soprano Sarah Coburn and tenor Lawrence Brownlee together for the first time since their turn as young lovers in 2011's The Barber of Seville. Much has been said of the Northwest-inspired 'green' set by Tom Lynch, all towering trees and rocky mountains high in the distance, and the traditional vision of director Stephen Wadsworth. Seattle Opera has presented 35 cycles of the Ring since the days of its founding director, Glynn Ross, and the latest incarnation (seen in 2001, 2005, and 2009) consistently soars.

La boheme opera seattle