Seattle Opera.

Buy Tickets

The Pirates of Penzance

"Delightful and witty" (ArtsATL)

October 18, 19, 24, 26, 28, 29, 2025
November 1, 2025
McCaw Hall

Buy Tickets

October 18

Sat. 9:30 PM

Buy Tickets

October 19

Sun. 4:00 PM

Buy Tickets

October 24

Fri. 9:30 PM

Buy Tickets

October 26

Sun. 4:00 PM

Buy Tickets

October 29

Wed. 9:30 PM

Buy Tickets

November 01

Sat. 9:30 PM

Buy Tickets

Overview

Plenty of sweet bites and fresh delights of songs, silliness, and sass”

– ArtsATL

Music by Arthur Sullivan
Libretto by W.S. Gilbert

A swashbuckling good time! Ahoy mateys! Get ready for opera on the high seas with Gilbert and Sullivan's popular piratical comedy. The story begins as young Frederic is due to be released from his accidental apprenticeship to a band of pirates; he dreams of living an honorable life dedicated to love. However, a leap year loophole puts his freedom on the line. When the very modern Major-General's doting daughters arrive, hearts are promised, vows are made, and eventually pirates are pardoned in this light-hearted comedy.

Making its Seattle Opera debut, this production of the family-friendly farce comes to Seattle following rave reviews at The Glimmerglass Festival, The Atlanta Opera, and Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Featuring an exciting cast of operatic talent and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, you'll be thrilled with rapid-fire lyrics and toe-tapping tunes.

Available now with 2025/26 season tickets.

Performance Information

McCaw Hall

In English with English subtitles

Evening performances at 7:30 PM. Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM.

Performance Time: 2 hours and 30 minutes including 1 intermission

Sunday, October 26: Family Day. Learn more

Tuesday, October 28: 10:30 AM matinee performance.
School groups: Learn More

Movie-Style Rating: G

Read Content Advisory

Accessibility Offerings

Audio Described Performance: Sunday, October 26

Learn more

Praise for The Pirates of Penzance

If you think you don’t like opera, you probably haven’t yet been introduced to Gilbert and Sullivan.”

– WABE

comedic hijinks, happy-go-lucky musical numbers and plenty of pizzazz . . . sweet, short, and lovely.”

– ArtsATL

Subscribe Today

Save up to 40% over the cost of single tickets when you subscribe to the 2025/26 season! With a variety of package options, it's easier than ever to see what you want, when you want, all while enjoying exclusive subscriber benefits including:

Access to the best seats at the lowest prices throughout McCaw Hall
Flexible cancellation through October 1, 2025
Hassle-free ticket exchanges
Additional ticket discounts
Free parking with a full-season Classic Package

Subscribe Now

Under 40?
Save 50%!

BRAVO!, Seattle Opera's young patrons group, is the premier Seattle-area arts organization for music lovers ages 21–39.

With a $49 annual membership, you and a guest can connect with fellow young opera fans, enjoy huge ticket savings, and take advantage of exclusive BRAVO! member benefits all season long.

Learn more

Cast

Thomas Glass

Major-General Stanley

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Major-General Stanley, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)

Hometown: Edina, MN
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Starbuck (cover), Moby Dick (Metropolitan Opera); Marcello, La bohème (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Jack Torrence, The Shining (Atlanta Opera); Leporello, Don Giovanni (Minnesota Opera); Guglielmo, Cosí Fan Tutte (Palm Beach Opera)

Last Updated: March 2025

Thomas Glass

Major-General Stanley

Seattle Opera Debut

Reginald Smith, Jr.

The Pirate King

Baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: The Pirate King, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Atlanta, GA

Engagements: Amonasro, Aida (Baltimore Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago); Porgy, Porgy and Bess (Washington National Opera); Scarpia, Tosca (New Orleans Opera); Marcello, La bohème (Opera Memphis); Emile Griffith, Champion (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Last updated: January 2025

Reginald Smith, Jr.

The Pirate King

Seattle Opera Debut

David Portillo

Frederic

Tenor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Frederic, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: San Antonio, TX

Engagements: Tamino, The Magic Flute (Metropolitan Opera); Pane/La Natura, La Calisto (Fesitval d’Aix en Provence); Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni (Santa Fe Opera); Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival); Dr. Richardson, Breaking the Waves (Houston Grand Opera); Septimus, Theodora (Theater an der Wien)

Last updated: January 2025

David Portillo

Frederic

Seattle Opera Debut

Vanessa Becerra

Mabel

Soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25); Miss Lightfoot, Fellow Travelers (‘26)

Hometown: Fort Worth, TX
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Nuria, Ainadamar (LA Opera); Maria Celeste/Eos, Galileo Galilei (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Norina, Don Pasquale (Opera Omaha); Adina, The Elixir of Love (Minnesota Opera); Zerlina, Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera); Violetta, La traviata (Berkshire Opera Festival)

Last updated: January 2025

Vanessa Becerra

Mabel

Seattle Opera Debut

Katharine Goeldner

Ruth

Mezzo-soprano

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Ruth, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Sigourney, IA

Engagements: Annina, Der Rosenkavalier (Metropolitan Opera); Delilah, Samson and Delilah (Opera Colorado); Geneviève, Pelléas et Mélisande (Dallas Opera); Larina, Eugene Onegin (Opera Santa Fe); Brigitta, Die Tote Stadt (Teatro del Capitolio de Toulouse); Marcellina, The Marriage of Figaro (Lyric Opera of Chicago)

Last updated: January 2025

Katharine Goeldner

Ruth

Seattle Opera Debut

Nathan Stark

Sergeant of Police

Bass-baritone

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Sergeant of Police, Pirates of Penzance (’25)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: Turlock, CA

Engagements: Enobarbus (cover), Antony and Cleopatra, Angelotti (cover), Tosca (Metropolitan Opera); Figaro, The Marriage of Figaro (Opera Modesto); Bartolo, The Barber of Seville (Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Helena Symphony); Church Councilman, Breaking the Waves (Detroit Opera)

Last updated: January 2025

Nathan Stark

Sergeant of Police

Seattle Opera Debut

Ilya Silchukou

Samuel

Baritone
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Sciarrone, Tosca
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: First Shepherd, Daphne in Concert; Moralès, Carmen

Hometown: Minkus, Belarus
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Jager, Rusalka (Teatro alla Scala); Prince Yeletzky, Queen of Spades (Sofia Opera); Dandini, La Cenerentola (Sofia Opera, Opéra National de Montpellier); Simeon, L’Enfant Prodigue (Tacoma Opera); Belcore, L’elisir d’amore (Théâtre du Capitole)

Last Updated: May 2024

Ilya Silchukou

Samuel

Tess Altiveros

Edith

Soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Ascagne, Les Troyens in Concert; Papagena, The Magic Flute
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Edith, The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: Clorinda, The Combat (’17)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Nana/Market #1/Wajma, A Thousand Splendid Suns (’23); Giannetta, The Elixir of Love (’21, ‘22); Female Soldier, The Falling & The Rising (’19); E, O+E (’18)
Engagements: Soloist, Missa Solemnis (Boulder Philharmonic); Soloist, Cinco Poemas de Vinicius de Moraes (Greenville Symphony); Mimì, La bohème (Intermountain Opera); Susanna, Le nozze di Figaro (Opera Idaho); Soldier, The Falling & The Rising (Des Moines Metro Opera, Arizona Opera, Intermountain Opera, Opera Memphis)

Last Updated: October 2024

Tess Altiveros

Edith

Erica Convery

Kate

Alto
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Kate, The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Stockton, CA
Seattle Opera Debut
Seattle Opera Chorus Member since 2017
Engagements: Soloist, Mozart Requiem (Everett Philharmonic); Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro and Mercédès, Carmen (Tacoma Opera); Misha/Sally/Emil (cover), Before It All Goes Dark (Music Of Remembrance)

Last Updated: June 2025

Erica Convery

Kate

Seattle Opera Debut

Elizabeth Peterson

Isabel

Mezzo-soprano
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Isabel, The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Burien, WA
Seattle Opera Debut
Previously at Seattle Opera: Mother, Earth to Kenzie (’25); Monkey Queen/Lord Tiger, Monkey and Francine in the City of Tigers (’24)
Seattle Opera Chorus Member since 2012
Engagements: Spirit #6, Cendrillon (Vashon Opera); Tisbe and Angelina (cover), Cinderella (Kitsap Opera); La Cieca, La Gioconda (Sky Opera); Mrs. Herring, Albert Herring (Vashon Opera)

Last Updated: June 2025

Elizabeth Peterson

Isabel

Seattle Opera Debut

Creative Team

David Charles Abell

Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Conductor, The Pirates of Penzance (‘26)

Hometown: Jacksonville, NC
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Conductor, La bohème (Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Porgy and Bess (Atlanta Opera); The Magic Flute (Opera Philadelphia); Eugene Onegin (Hawaii Opera Theatre); Die Fledermaus, Silent Night (Cincinnati Opera); Sweeney Todd, Carousel (English National Opera)

Last Updated: March 2025

David Charles Abell

Conductor

Seattle Opera Debut

Bobby Collins

Associate Conductor

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Associate Conductor, The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: Guest Conductor, Let's Blow Up a Gas Station (’24)
Engagements: Music Director, The Sound Ensemble; Assistant Conductor, Yakima Symphony Orchestra; Conductor, Orchestrating the Wind: Music of Sarah Bassingthwaighte (London Symphony Orchestra); Guest Conductor, Everett Philharmonic Orchestra; Horn Soloist, Worlds Collide: Music for Horn and Piano (Winds of Change Duo)

Last Updated: July 2025

Bobby Collins

Associate Conductor

Seattle Opera Debut

Seán Curran

Stage Director & Choreographer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Stage Director & Choreographer, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)
Seattle Opera Debut
Hometown: New York, NY

Engagements: Choreographer, Lili Elbe (Santa Fe Opera); Choreographer & Director, PATH (Seán Curran Company); Choreographer & Director, The Pirates of Penzance (Glimmerglass Opera); Choreographer, Julius Caesar, Choreographer & Director, Harvey Milk (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); Choreographer, Io and Léandre et Héro (Opera Lafayette)

Last updated: January 2025

Seán Curran

Stage Director & Choreographer

Seattle Opera Debut

Robert Wierzel

Lighting Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Lighting Designer, The Pirates of Penzance (‘25)

Hometown: Branford, CT
Seattle Opera Debut: Turn of the Screw ('94)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Jubilee (‘24); Blue (‘22); Don Giovanni (‘21); Eugene Onegin (‘20); Semele (‘15); Ariadne auf Naxos (‘15); La bohème (‘13), Lucia di Lammermoor (‘10); Aida (‘08)

Engagements: Still/Here (Brooklyn Academy of Music); Blue, The Marriage of Figaro (Lyric Opera of Chicago); Siegfried (The Atlanta Opera); The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Washington National Opera); Leopoldstadt (The Huntington & Shakespeare Theatre Company); Rigoletto (LA Opera)

Last Updated: June 2024

Robert Wierzel

Lighting Designer

Robertson Witmer

Sound Designer

Sound Designer
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Seattle, WA
Seattle Opera Debut: The Falling & The Rising (’19)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Tosca (’25); The Magic Flute (’25); Jubilee (’24); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X (’24); Das Rheingold (’23); A Thousand Splendid Suns (’23); Orpheus and Eurydice (’22); Tosca ('21); Flight ('21); Don Giovanni ('21); Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (’20)
Engagements: Fancy Dancer (Seattle Rep); Enemy of the People (ACT Contemporary Theatre); Peril in the Alps (Laguna Playhouse)

Last updated: May 2025

Robertson Witmer

Sound Designer

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer, The Pirates of Penzance; Fellow Travelers; Carmen; Hair and Makeup Manager & Designer, Daphne in Concert

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Seattle Opera Debut: Hair and Makeup Intern, Giulio Cesare (2007)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Designer, Pagliacci ('24); Jubilee ('24); Lucidity ('24); Les Troyens in Concert ('25); The Magic Flute ('25); Tosca ('25); 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 2025

Ashlee Naegle

Wigs, Hair, and Makeup Manager & Designer

Lynn Baker

Language Coach

English Diction Coach
At Seattle Opera in 20255/26:The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: New York, New York
Seattle Opera Debut: Young Artist Program (‘10)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Young Artist Program
Engagements: Vocal Coach, (The Metropolitan Opera); Adjunct Faculty Coach, (Mannes Opera/The New School); English Diction Coach, (Opera Philadelphia, Curtis Institute of Music, The Julliard School, Atlanta Opera, Washington National Opera); Associate Editor for Transcriptions, (International Dialects of English Archive).

Last Updated: June 2025

Lynn Baker

Language Coach

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

Staging Staff

Nadja Simmonds

Assistant Stage Director

At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: Assistant Stage Director, The Pirates of Penzance

Hometown: Cincinnati, OH
Seattle Opera Debut
Engagements: Assistant Stage Director, Treemonisha, Jungle Book (Washington National Opera), The Pirates of Penzance, Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children (The Glimmerglass Festival); Director, La bohème (Florentine Opera); Assistant Director, Henry V (Montana Shakespeare in the Parks)

Last updated: April 2025

Nadja Simmonds

Assistant Stage Director

Seattle Opera Debut

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Production Stage Manager

Hometown: Houston, TX
Seattle Opera Mainstage Debut: Les Troyens in Concert (’25)
Jonathan Moore (he/him) is thrilled to be a part of the Seattle Opera Production Team as Production Stage Manager. He has primarily worked in opera and ballet, including, most recently, a 4-season stint at the Houston Ballet. He has also stage managed for plays, musicals, a Fringe Festival, concerts, and a drag show. Favorite projects include a tour to Tokyo, an opera in a hot spring, and several operas in barns. He has worked across the country, including in New York, San Diego, San Antonio, Steamboat Springs, and Logan, UT.

Last Updated: February 2025

Jonathan Moore

Production Stage Manager

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2024/25: Pagliacci, Jubilee, The Magic Flute, Tosca

Hometown: Coventry, RI
Seattle Opera Debut: Il trovatore ('19)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Jubilee (‘24); Pagliacci (‘24); X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X ('24); Das Rheingold ('23); A Thousand Splendid Suns ('23)
Engagements: Blithe Spirit, Sanctuary City, Selling Kabul, Teenage Dick (Seattle Repertory Theatre); A Christmas Carol (ACT Contemporary Theatre); Everything is Illuminated (Book-It Repertory Theatre)

Last Updated: January 2025

Quinn Chase

Assistant Stage Manager

Jamie Kranz

Assistant Stage Manager

Assistant Stage Manager
At Seattle Opera in 2025/26: The Pirates of Penzance (‘25); Carmen (‘26)

Hometown: Mason City, IA
Seattle Opera Debut: The Marriage of Figaro ('22)
Previously at Seattle Opera: Pagliacci (‘24); Das Rheingold (‘23); The Elixir of Love (‘22)
Engagements: After Midnight, Bye Bye Birdie, Waitress (5th Avenue Theatre); Legally Blonde (Village Theatre); Blithe Spirit (Seattle Rep); POTUS (ACT Contemporary Theatre)