Happy holidays from your friends at Seattle Opera and @classicalking.org! Wishing everyone a joyful and safe holiday season as we wrap up the year.

Got holiday market plans? Our annual Black Artists Market is this Friday and Saturday only, featuring hand made crafts and unique treasures from Black artists, artisans, and Black-owned small businesses. Thoughtfully curated in partnership with @artenoirnow.bsky.social seattleopera.org/market

Throughout December we'll be collecting donations for Plymouth Housing's supply drive. Supplies will go to Kristin Benson Place, a supportive housing development for adults experiencing homelessness, located across the street from McCaw Hall.

Call for stories and photos: The Lavender Names Project is a collaboration between the American LGBTQ+ Museum and Up Until Now Collective, created in tandem with the 10th Anniversary Tour of the trailblazing opera Fellow Travelers, which begins here at Seattle Opera.

Our annual Black Artists Market is expanding to two days! In partnership with @artenoirnow.bsky.social December 5 will be in Midtown Square in the Central District, and December 6 will be at the Opera Center. Learn more at seattleopera.org/market Art by Myron Curry.

We're proud to share that our Veterans Choir performed at Peer Seattle's "Honoring All Who Served: LGBTQ+ Veterans Celebration" program this Veterans Day. Photos by David Carroll.

Time to don your gayest apparel, Seattle! Join queen Anita Spritzer for her brand new holiday special, Anita Spritzer's Gay Apparel, along with pianist Jay Rozendaal for a night full of festive music and seasonal favorites. Get tix at seattleopera.org/gayapparel

Our supply drive during The Pirates of Penzance filled an entire cart with household supplies and winter gear for our friends at CASA Latina! These supplies will help Latino immigrant workers in our local community. Check out our next donation drive at seattleopera.org/supplydrive

We had a fantastic time welcoming the community to the Opera Center at our annual Open House! Over 750 people visited, enjoying live performances, a pirate dance lesson, tours of the costumes and props shops, Q&A's, a live feed of rehearsal, and lots of activities for kids. 📸 Sunny Martini

Happy closing performance to @seattleopera.bsky.social and Seattle Symphony's "The #Pirates of #Penzance" comedic farcical #opera by #GilbertAndSullivan at McCaw Hall. Starring David Portillo. Beautiful soprano from Vanessa Becerra. Review: showsiveseen.com/14154 #showsiveseen

UPDATE: We’ve extended the registration deadline to this Friday, October 31, and added more audition slots! Register now at seattleopera.org/youthauditions

We chose Art and Joy tonight - Pirates of Penzance @seattleopera.bsky.social

We're excited to announce the world premiere of The Wedding Banquet in 2027! Composed by Huang Ruo with libretto by James Schamus, the opera is inspired by the beloved 1993 film and the reimagined version that debuted earlier this year. Learn more at seattleopera.org/weddingbanquet

This Friday, October 24 is Pay What You Wish night at The Pirates of Penzance! Learn more about how to purchase Pay What You Wish tickets at seattleopera.org/pwyw

PUPPIES OF PENZANCE! 🐾 We were very paw-leased to welcome 13 Guide Dogs for the Blind puppies-in-training and their raisers to the dress rehearsal of The Pirates of Penzance.

The queens are coming! 🦇🎃 Get ready for a night of drag artistry and Halloween antics at our annual Queens of the Night party, hosted by Seattle's own belting diva, Anita Spritzer, with performances by Queen Andrew Scott, Rowan Ruthless, and Fabi. Get tickets at www.seattleopera.org/halloween

It's vampire season and we need your blood! 🧛 In partnership with Bloodworks Northwest we're hosting a blood drive this Monday, October 13 from 10:00 AM—4:00 PM at the Opera Center. Donors will be entered to win a trip to Tokyo + concert of your choice! Register at seattleopera.org/bloodworks

Our talented cast of The Pirates of Penzance is hard at work swashbuck- *ahem* ...rehearsing for a life of piracy (or a few weeks of it, at least). Photos by David Jaewon Oh.

Did you know we share a building AND the airwaves with Classical KING? Operas from our current season and recordings from the archives are broadcast on the radio in full throughout the year. Check out the new schedule at seattleopera.org/classicalking and tune in! 📻

Anchor's away! 🏴‍☠️⚓️ This week we kick off rehearsal for The Pirates of Penzance with our amazing cast, creative, and staging teams. The Pirates of Penzance is on stage October 18 through November 1, with audio description on October 26. Get tickets at seattleopera.org/pirates

Come visit the opera center and take a peek behind the scenes! Our annual open house, in partnership with Classical KING FM, is your chance to explore all the exciting work that happens at the Opera Center. Get details at seattleopera.org/openhouse

We're holding auditions for youth chorus performers for this season's production of Carmen! Youth choristers can look forward to performing in iconic scenes like the "Chorus of Street Children" and the bullfight finale, "Les voici! Voici la quadrille." Register at seattleopera.org/youthauditions

**UPDATE: Our website and ticketing system are back up and running! ✅

Our website and ticketing system are down for scheduled maintenance today 🛠️ If you need assistance with tickets during this time, please email [email protected].

We're on Substack! Give us a follow for behind-the-scenes looks, deep dives on opera history (old and new!), and answers to common questions about attending opera. substack.com/@seattleoper...

We're holding auditions for 4 dancers for our upcoming production of Carmen! We're casting for 3 masculine characters and 1 feminine character. We welcome all gender identities to audition for the role they feel is right for them. Register to audition at seattleopera.org/dancerauditions

*UPDATE* This event is now sold out. Door tickets will be subject to availability on the day of the sale depending on room capacity.

Come work with us! We have several full-time and part-time positions open across departments, including Marketing, Programs & Partnerships, Production, Audience Services, and the Amusements Gift Shop. www.seattleopera.org/jobs

Calling all Gilbert & Sullivan fans 📣 If you still want more G&S after The Pirates of Penzance, good news! Join us for The Gilbert & Sullivan Songbook, featuring favorite G&S tunes performed by the cast of The Pirates of Penzance. October 23 at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets at seattleopera.org/songbook

We're teaming up with Village Theatre, Seattle Rep, Union Arts Center, and Pacific Northwest Ballet for a costume sale! A combined 2,500 pieces will be for sale in this rare public event. Tickets go on sale Aug. 25 at 12 p.m. More info at seattleopera.org/costumesale

Auditions for our Teen Vocal Studio are Aug. 25 🎶 TVS is a program for high school singers considering a future in music & opera. Members participate in workshops and masterclasses through the year, culminating in a fully-staged and produced youth opera. Register at seattleopera.org/teenvocalstudio

Fun fact: Our 1995 production of Carmen was so salacious it caused the Seattle Times to run a phone poll for people to sound off! Callers were asked to vote "Bravo!" or "Shame on you!" in response to this scandalous staging. Read more to find out how the people of Seattle voted: bit.ly/4mromAb

Looking back at some Carmens from the archive while we get ready for Carmen coming up this season. Which one is your fave? 1982, Victoria Vergara, by Des Gates 1987, Isola Jones, by Matthew McVay 2004, Stephanie Blythe, by Rozarii Lynch 2019, Ginger Costa-Jackson, by Sunny Martini

Hot tip! If you're under 40 and want to enrich your cultural life without breaking the bank, BRAVO! club is a great way to see opera all year round AND fill up your social calendar. Let's break down the savings ⬇️

Feeling nostalgic? You can explore photos, video clips, and programs from nearly all of our previous productions (1964-2015) online. Take a look back at some of our past operas and tell us about your faves! 🔎 seattleopera50.com

Iconic red dresses from the past few seasons 🌹 Tosca (2025), Vanessa Goikoetxea and Rame Lahaj. By Sunny Martini. Orpheus & Eurydice (2022), Sharleen Joynt. By Philip Newton. Eugene Onegin (2019), Marina Costa-Jackson. By Sunny Martini. Carmen (2019), Ginger Costa-Jackson. By Sunny Martini.

Class is in session! Unrot your brain, kick your doomscrolling habit, and sign up for one of our classes this fall: 📚 Opera 101: A Beginner's Guide to Opera 🎭 21st-Century Opera 🏳️‍🌈 Queerness and Opera 💃 An Immersive Seminar: Carmen www.seattleopera.org/discover-learn/for-adults/opera-classes

Did you know the first opera we ever performed was Tosca, back in 1964? A run of Aida at the 1962 World's Fair left Seattle "in the grip of Aida fever" and ready for an opera house. Enter: us! Our first season consisted of Tosca and Carmen over two weekends, drawing an audience of 10,000.

*takes deep breath* IamtheverymodelofaModernMajorGeneralI'veinformationvegetable,animalandmineralIknowthekindsofEnglandandIquotethefightshistoricalfromMarathontoWaterlooinordercategorical *gasps for air* Anyways, The Pirates of Penzance is up next! On stage October 18—November 1. 📸 Sofia Negron

Hey Bluesky, it's our first post! 👋 Calling all Seattle locals, opera lovers, and the opera-curious: What kinds of content do you want to see from us on here? Pretty photos? Event updates? Behind the scenes looks? Something else?