60th Anniversary

Concert & Gala

One-night-only celebration!

Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 4:00 PM

Overview

[Seattle Opera has] become recognized as one of the most successful and energetic opera companies in the U.S.”

– The Seattle Times, within ten years of the founding

A celebration 60 years in the making! We are ready for a big birthday bash with a star-studded cast of singers led by Conductor Kazem Abdullah (Tosca, X: the Life and Times of Malcolm X). Audience favorites Greer Grimsley, Mary Elizabeth Williams, Ginger Costa-Jackson, Duke Kim, John Moore, Sarah Coburn, Amitai Pati, Adam Lau, and our Resident Artist Michael J. Hawk take the stage alongside the “phenomenal” (City Arts) 56-member Seattle Opera Chorus and members of Seattle Symphony.

With a line up of show-stopping selections including the Mad Scene from Lucia di Lammermoor, the iconic “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco, “Habanera” from Carmen, and beloved selections from The Pearl Fishers, Die Walküre, Tannhäuser, and more, this incredible lineup of artists is sure to bring a once-in-a-lifetime performance to commemorate our 60 years.

This concert is a fundraiser to support Seattle Opera.

Concert tickets start at $99. All tickets include a glass of celebratory champagne or sparkling juice.

Premium seats are reserved for gala dinner guests.
Learn more about gala dinner and table prices

Performance Information

McCaw Hall

Concert begins at 4:00 PM; Champagne and Sparkling juice upon arrival

Performance time: 2 hours 30 minutes including one intermission

Accessiblity Offerings

Learn More

Celebratory Gala & Dinner

Want the full experience? Join the gala celebration! Following the concert, go behind the scenes for a festive reception and dinner party. Revel and help herald Seattle Opera into the next 60 years!

$1,500 tickets include:

Premium seating at the concert
Option of complimentary parking or ride share voucher
Reception following concert
Dinner designed by celebrity chef

Available to purchase with concert tickets.

Want to share this occasion with your closest friends and family? Purchase a table for even more benefits!

Learn more about the gala dinner, table prices and benefits.

Learn More

Artists

Kazem Abdullah

Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Conductor, X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X; Conductor, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Seattle Opera Debut: Tosca (’21)
Engagements: Proximity (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Omar (LA Opera); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (Michigan Opera Theater); The Central Park Five (Portland Opera); Fire Shut Up in My Bones (Metropolitan Opera); Castor and Patience (Cincinnati Opera)

Last Updated: December 2022

Kazem Abdullah

Conductor

Sarah Coburn

Soprano

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Tulsa, OK
Seattle Opera Young Artist 2001/02
Seattle Opera Debut: Adèle, Die Fledermaus (’06)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Countess Adèle, Count Ory ('16); Zerbinetta, Ariadne auf Naxos (’15); Marie, The Daughter of the Regiment (’13); Rosina, The Barber of Seville (’11)
Engagements: Amina, La sonnambula (Winer Staatsopera); Gilda, Rigoletto (Welsh National Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Los Angeles Opera, Portland Opera, Arizona Opera, and Cincinnati Opera); Rosina, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Los Angeles Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Tulsa Opera, and Opera San Antonio); Lucia, Lucia di Lammermoor (Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, Tulsa Opera, Utah Opera, Cincinnati Opera and Glimmerglass Opera)

Last updated: October 2023

Sarah Coburn

Soprano

Ginger Costa-Jackson

Mezzo-Soprano

Mezzo-Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Bradamante, Alcina; Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Palermo, Sicily
Seattle Opera Debut: Dorabella, Così fan tutte (’18)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Musetta, La bohème (’21); Cinderella, Cinderella (’20); Three Singing Sisters Concert (’20); Carmen, Carmen ('19)
Engagements: Andromaca, Ermione (Washington Concert Opera);Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni (Teatro Petruzzelli); Giulietta, The Tales of Hoffmann (Gran Teatre del Liceu); Dorabella, Così fan tutte (La Monnaie); Carmen, Carmen (English National Opera, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, and Hamburg Opera); Charlotte, Werther (Grange Park Opera)

Last updated: February 2024

Ginger Costa-Jackson

Mezzo-Soprano

Greer Grimsley

Bass-Baritone

Bass-Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Wotan, Das Rheingold; Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: New Orleans, LA
Seattle Opera Debut: Telramund, Lohengrin (’94)
Previously at Seattle Opera: High Priest of Dagon, Samson and Delilah in Concert (’23); The Dutchman, The Flying Dutchman (’16); Scarpia, Tosca (’15); Wotan, The Ring (’05, ’09,’13); Don Pizarro, Fidelio (’12)
Engagements: Wotan, The Ring (Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Atlanta Opera); Don Pizarro, Fidelio (San Francisco Opera); The Wanderer, Siegfried (Bregenzer Festspiele); Wotan, Die Walküre (Royal Swedish Opera, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra); El Capitán, Florencia en el Amazonas (The Metropolitan Opera); Scarpia, Tosca (San Diego Opera, Palm Beach Opera)

Last Updated: February 2024

Greer Grimsley

Bass-Baritone

Michael J. Hawk

Baritone

Baritone
Resident Artist
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Silvio, Pagliacci; The Speaker, The Magic Flute

Hometown: Fredonia, NY
Seattle Opera Debut: Fiorello, The Barber of Seville (’24)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala
Engagements: Per Hansa, Giants in the Earth (South Dakota Symphony); Papageno, The Magic Flute (Buffalo Philharmonic); Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Santa Fe Opera); Ophémon, The Anonymous Lover (LA Opera); The Speaker, The Magic Flute (LA Opera); Schaunard, La bohème (LA Opera)

Last Updated: June 2024

Michael J. Hawk

Baritone

Duke Kim

Tenor

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Count Almaviva, The Barber of Seville; Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Tamino, The Magic Flute

Hometown: Seoul, Republic of Korea
Seattle Opera Debut: Alfredo, La traviata ('23)
Engagements: Roméo, Roméo et Juliette (LA Opera, Washington National Opera); Tamino, The Magic Flute (The Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera); Alfredo, La traviata (Pittsburgh Opera); Faust, Faust (Irish National Opera, Berkshire Opera Festival); Il Conte D’Almaviva, Il barbiere di Siviglia (Des Moines Metro Opera); Nemorino, L’elisir d’amore (Irish National Opera).

Last Updated: February 2024

Duke Kim

Tenor

Adam Lau

Bass

Bass
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Narbal, Les Troyens in Concert; Cesare Angelotti, Tosca

Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Seattle Opera Debut: Papa and Makoto Kobayashi, An American Dream (’15)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Angelotti, Tosca (’21); Masetto, Don Giovanni (’21); Alidoro, Cinderella (’19); Kōbun Chino Otogawa, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (’19); Ferrando, Il trovatore (’19); Speaker, The Magic Flute ('17)
Engagements: Colline, La bohème (Opera Philadelphia); Dr. Grenvil, La traviata (Metropolitan Opera); Sarastro, The Magic Flute (Ravinia Festival); Soloist, Verdi’s Requiem (Carnegie Hall); Figaro, Le nozze di Figaro (Utah Opera); Sam, Un Ballo in Maschera (San Francisco Opera)

Last Updated: January 2024

Adam Lau

Bass

John Moore

Baritone

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Milford (Okoboji), IA
Seattle Opera Debut: Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro (’16)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Rasheed, A Thousand Splendid Suns ('23); Marcello, La bohème (’21); Eugene Onegin, Eugene Onegin (’20); Steve Jobs, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (’19); Figaro, The Barber of Seville (’17); Papageno, The Magic Flute (’17)
Engagements: Leon Klinghoffer, The Death of Klinghoffer (Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra);Jess, A Thousand Acres (Des Moines Metro Opera); Steve Jobs, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (San Francisco Opera, Utah Opera, Atlanta Opera, Austin Opera, & Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Count Almaviva, The Marriage of Figaro (New Zealand Opera); Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande (Des Moines Metro Opera); Dillon, The Listeners (Opera Philadelphia, Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Last Updated: February 2024

John Moore

Baritone

Amitai Pati

Tenor

Tenor
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand
Seattle Opera Debut: Nemorino, The Elixir of Love (’22)
Engagements: Ferrando, Così fan tutte (English National Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (San Francisco Opera, Tanglewood Music Festival); Tamino, Die Zauberflöte (Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier, San Francisco Opera); Alfredo, La traviata (Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, Opera national du Rhin); Roméo, Roméo and Juliette (Opéra de Rouen Normandie, Savonlinna Opera Festival) Anichino, Beatrice di Tenda (Opéra National de Paris)

Last Updated: February 2024

Amitai Pati

Tenor

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Soprano

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Soloist, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Seattle Opera Young Artist 2000/01
Seattle Opera Debut: Leonora, Il trovatore (’10)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Isolde, Tristan and Isolde ('22); Serena, Porgy and Bess (’18); Elisabetta, Mary Stuart (’16); Abigaille, Nabucco (’15); Tosca, Tosca (’15)
Engagements: Foreign Princess, Rusalka (Santa Fe Opera); Isolde, Tristan und Isolde (Paris Opera); Aida, Aida (Cincinnati Opera and Städtische Bühnen Bielefeld); Judith, Bluebeard’s Castle (Teatro Coccia and Teatro Pergolesi); Serena, Porgy and Bess (Teatro alla Scala, Theater an der Wien and Elb Philharmonie Orchester); The Woman, Erwartung (San Francisco Symphony)

Last Updated: February 2024

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Soprano

Creative Team

David Gately

Director

Director
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Director, 60^th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: The Barber of Seville (’92)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Samson and Delilah in Concert(’23); La bohème (’21);The Elixir of Love (’20); Madame Butterfly (’95)
Engagements: Angels in America (BBC Symphony Orchestra); Before Night Falls (Florida Grand Opera); Le contes d'Hoffmann (Palm Beach Opera); Otello (Maryland Lyric Opera); Voir Dire (Fort Worth Opera Festival); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Boston Conservatory at Berklee)

Last Updated: March 2024

David Gately

Director

Tracy Grant Lord

Scenery Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Production Designer, The Barber of Seville

Hometown: Auckland, NZ
Seattle Opera Debut: Production Designer, The Barber of Seville (‘17)
Engagements: Sceneographer, The Unruly Tourists (New Zealand Opera); Marriage of Figaro (New Zealand Opera); Semele (New Zealand Opera); Turn of the Screw (New Zealand Opera); Dangerous Liaisons (Queensland Ballet); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Royal New Zealand Ballet)

Last Updated: January 2023

Tracy Grant Lord

Scenery Designer

Matthew Marshall

Lighting Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: The Barber of Seville, 60th Anniversary Concert & Gala

Hometown: Perth, Western Australia
Seattle Opera Debut: The Barber of Seville (’17)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Cinderella (’19)
Engagements: Lighting Designer, The Ring Cycle (Opera Australia); Cosi Fan Tutte (New Zealand Opera); La Bohéme (Opera Australia); Askungen (Royal Swedish Opera); Carmen (Oper Leipzig); Tchaikovsky (Tulsa Ballet)

Last Updated: February 2024

Matthew Marshall

Lighting Designer

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designer, Pagliacci; Jubilee; Lucidity; Les Troyens in Concert; The Magic Flute; Tosca

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Seattle Opera Debut: Hair and Makeup Intern, Giulio Cesare (2007)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Supplemental Wigs, Hair and Makeup Designer, Das Rheingold ('23); Alcina ('23); X: The Life & Times of Malcolm X ('24); The Barber of Seville ('24)

Ashlee Naegle made a name for herself early on in her career by mastering the dying art of wig building. She created and designed for several companies around town until the Seattle Opera created an in-house Hair and Makeup Designer position for her in 2017. During her time as the in-house Hair and Makeup Designer, she has built a sizable wig collection, built a department, and set high standards for wigs, hair and makeup. With each production, her designs are custom built for the performers and their characters to create a believable façade for the audience as well as complement the costumes and production as a whole.

Last Updated: July 2024

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master

Chorus Master

Hometown: Muscatine, IA
Seattle Opera debut: The Elixir of Love (’22)
Michaella Calzaretta made her Seattle Opera debut in 2022 as the company’s new chorus master and head of music staff. Acclaimed for her high standards and superb preparation skills, Calzaretta oversees all musical activities at the company and prepares the chorus for main stage productions. In January, the chorus embarked on their immensely successful first-ever tour to Mt. Vernon and Vashon Island. Recent praise includes “Her chorus was one of the stars... the voices were radiant” (Bachtrack) and “... the singers are both zesty and accurate (they’re also extremely nimble)” (The Seattle Times). Calzaretta is a doctoral candidate in choral conducting at Indiana University.

Last Updated: July 2024

Michaella Calzaretta

Chorus Master