Lucidity

Composer
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: New York, NY
Seattle Opera Debut: As One (’16)

Possessing “an ear for the new and interesting” (The New York Times), Laura Kaminsky frequently addresses social and political issues in her work with a distinct musical language that is “full of fire as well as ice, contrasting dissonance and violence with tonal beauty and meditative reflection” (American Record Guide). As One (co-librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed) is the most produced contemporary opera since its 2014 premiere, with 60+ productions to date internationally. Other operas: Some Light Emerges, Today It Rains, Hometown to the World, Finding Wright, and February. Upcoming: a chamber opera in poems, The Post Office, for Queen City Opera and Time To Act for a consortium led by Pittsburgh Opera. Awarded the Polish Gold Cross of Merit (Zloty Krzyż Zasługi RP) by the President of Poland for exemplary public service/humanitarian work, Kaminsky has been recognized by the NEA, Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Opera America, Chamber Music America, and USArtists International, among others. Kaminsky is on the faculty of Purchase College Conservatory of Music and is currently a mentor for Seattle Opera's Creation Lab.

Last updated: January 2024

Librettist
At Seattle Opera in 2023/24: Lucidity

Hometown: New York, NY
Seattle Opera Debut
David Cote is a playwright, librettist, and critic. This season: Blind Injustice with composer Scott Davenport Richards at Peak Performances. Other operas: Blind Injustice with Cincinnati Opera; Three Way (comp. Robert Paterson) at Nashville Opera and BAM; The Scarlet Ibis (comp. Stefan Weisman) with Prototype Festival, later at Chicago Opera Theater. David wrote the text for Nkeiru Okoye’s Black Lives Matter monodrama for baritone and orchestra, Invitation to a Die-In.Recordings include Blind Injustice (NAXOS), Three Way (American Modern Recordings), and In Real Life (AMR). David’s TV and theater coverage appears in The A.V. Club, Observer, 4 Columns, and American Theatre. He is the author of popular companion books about the Broadway hits Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Spring Awakening, Jersey Boys, and Wicked.

Last Updated: January 2024

Conductor
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Haverford, PA
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Tosca (Toledo Opera); Alcina (Mannes Opera); Silent Night (Wolf Trap Opera); Il Tabarro (On Site Opera); Flight (Minnesota Opera); Sky on Swings (Opera Philadelphia)

Last updated: August 2024

Director
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: New York, NY
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Frankenstein (Arizona Opera), L’Elisir D’Amore (Curtis Opera Theatre), Glory Denied (Berkshire Opera Festival), The Immersive Coffee Cantata Experience (On Site Opera), Sketches from Frankenstein and The Tell-Tale Heart (On Site Opera).

Last updated: August 2024

Assistant Director
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Richmond, ME
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Assistant Director, The Immersive Coffee Cantata Experience (On Site Opera); Director, The Crucible (Opera in the Pines); Assistant Director, Lucidity (On Site Opera); Director, The Ugly Duckling (Tri-Cities Opera)

Last updated: August 2024

Scenic Consultant
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Leonora (Chicago Opera Theater); Carmen (Music Academy of the West); RUR: A Torrent of Light (Tapestry Opera); Simon Boccanegra (Teatro Colon); Faust (Academy of Vocal Arts); Romeo and Juliet (Wonderbound Dance)

Last Updated: August 2024

Props Designer
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Queens, NY
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: McNeal (Broadway: Vivian Beaumont Theater); Merrily We Roll Along (Broadway: Hudson Theatre); Lucidity (On Site Opera); Manahatta (The Public Theater)

Last Updated: September 2024

Costume Designer
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: New York, NY
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Sunday in the Park with George (Glimmerglass); The Suffragette's Murder (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); The Immersive Coffee Cantata Experience (On Site Opera); Lady M (Heartbeat Opera); The Mother of Us All (Juilliard, Metropolitan Museum of Art & NY Philharmonic); Indecent (Seattle Repertory Theatre)

Last updated: August 2024

Lighting Designer
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Galisteo, NM
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Frankenstein (Arizona Opera); Florencia De Los Amazona (San Jose Opera); Frida (Opera Orlando); Turn of the Screw (Opera Roanoke); La Boheme (Opera Delaware); Zorro (San Jose Opera)

Last Updated: August 2024

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

Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: McKee, KY
Seattle Opera Debut: The Marriage of Figaro (‘22)
Engagements: Die Walkure (Atlanta Opera); Songbird (Washington National Opera); Pagliacci (Austin Opera); 10 Days in a Madhouse (Opera Philadelphia); Sweeney Todd (Utah Opera); Hansel & Gretel (Utah Opera)

Last updated: August 2024

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Lucidity

Hometown: Rochester, NY
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: The Extinctionist (Heartbeat Opera); Ki moun ou ye (The Julliard School); Become a Mountain (The Julliard School); American Apollo (Des Moines Metro Opera); The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (The Dallas Opera); TIME:SPANS Contemporary Music Festival (Earle Brown Music Foundation)

Last updated: August 2024