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Seattle Opera.

Community Conversations

Seattle Opera regularly hosts events at the Opera Center and in the community to examine the cultural impact of upcoming mainstage works, curate in-depth Q&A sessions with arts leaders, and discuss the creative process. Check out recordings of our past Community Conversations below and stay tuned for future Community Conversations!

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Music, Memory, and the Brain

Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 7:00 PM
Tagney Jones Hall | The Opera Center

Join us for a discussion on the powerful connection between music, memory, and the brain. We'll explore how local music therapists and memory care clinics are using music and other art forms to treat people living with Alzheimer's, and we will delve into the neuroscience behind why and how music can serve as an effective treatment for memory loss.

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Past Community Conversations

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Gender Fluidity in Opera

Vocal range and gender in opera have had a flexible relationship since the birth of the genre, and the associations between the two have shifted over time. From castrati to pants roles for women and much more, this conversation explored questions surrounding the evolution of gender fluidity in opera.

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Shujaat: Celebrating Afghan Women's Resilience

In this International Women’s Day event co-hosted by the Center for Women & Democracy with representatives from Refugee Women’s Alliance, Refugee Artisan Initiative, and Sahar Education, learn more about the challenges Afghan women are facing here and abroad and how you can support our newest neighbors and community members. 

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The Wagner Problem

Performance & Programming in the 21st Century

Hear from esteemed musicologists and music critics from around the globe as they reflect on the ethics of performing Wagner in the 21st century and envision a more equitable model for classical music.

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Seattle Artists Persevering through a Time of Crisis

La bohème paints a picture of a creative class struggling to live, create art, and make ends meet. Learn more about art-making as it relates to resilience, community care, and the unique role that artists play in helping to move toward a more just and beautiful future.

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THE VIEW FROM THE PIT

Maestros on Race and Gender in Opera

What are the challenges for conductors and artists of color in opera right now? What creates joy, community, and a sense of belonging? Join Maestros Alondra de la Parra, Kazem Abdullah, Judith Yan, and Viswa Subbaraman for a community conversation moderated by Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Seattle Opera.

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RAcial Equity at Seattle Opera

Our staff-led Equity Team invites you for a dialogue about the future of our company—specifically, our work toward becoming an antiracist, multicultural organization.

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Crescendo for racial Justice in OPera

Join Black and PoC opera professionals for our latest Community Conversation, in which we reflect on this pivotal moment in history and how opera can reemerge as a space of belonging, healing, and liberation for communities of color.

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Black Representation in the Arts

What happens when audiences see a Black ballerina dance Clara in The Nutcracker or a Black opera singer sing Mimì in La bohème? This discussion on Black representation in the arts was led by Seattle Opera Scholar in Residence, Naomi André.

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Black Represention in Opera

Through collaborations with The Glimmerglass Festival, leading Black voices in opera, and local community organizers, Seattle Opera engaged in a frank discussion about racial diversity and inclusion in opera.

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Cultural Appropriation & Madame Butterfly

A transcript of this event is available for download. As a historically white and European art form, opera has a history of using cultural appropriation to tell stories, and placing more emphasis on the voice in casting.

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Feminist Storytelling in the #MeToo AGE

What role do the arts play in changing a culture of gender-based violence, and how can storytelling change this paradigm? For this Community Conversation presented alongside Rigoletto, Seattle Opera hosted a dialogue between feminist directors working in Seattle.

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Decolonizing Allure

Women artists of color in conversation

In this Community Conversation, Carmen inspired us to examine how women artists of color respond to the tropes borne out of exoticism and Orientalism, be it rejecting them, subverting them, or reclaiming them, and how they take back power by creating art in their own image.

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The Impact of Technology

As Seattle Opera geared up to present The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the company is asking hard questions about the effects of Big Tech, both in Jobs’ life and in our rapidly expanding community.

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