When in Rome

A historian considers the characters of Tosca

by Susan Nicassio

With some operas, the exact setting, in terms of time and place, doesn’t much matter. Not so in Tosca. The historic context of Rome during the Napoleonic wars is as integral to the story as Tosca’s jealousy and Scarpia’s cunning. We meet Tosca on a particular day in history—June 17, 1800—as Napoleon’s army encroaches into Italy and pushes back the Austrians, who were allied with the conservative forces that governed Rome. The fictional characters of Tosca, originally conceived in the play by Victorien Sardou, are as true to their time as any you’ll find on the opera stage. Let’s consider them in the order we’re about to meet them.

Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805, François Gérard, 1810, Palace of Versailles.

Tosca's Rome

by Jonathan Dean

Giacomo Puccini's Tosca takes place over the course of a few hours, in three actual locations near each other in Rome, not far from the Vatican (you can still go visit them and see if the scenic designer did his research). More so than most operas, Tosca requires carefully designed, realistic scenery to reflect the authenticity and detail of the stage action. In this article, we take a closer look at the real-life venues that inspired the opera.

Praise for The Magic Flute

Duke Kim as Tamino with Ethan Ibsen, Caleb Petrini, and Autumn Helene Chociej as the Three Genies in The Magic Flute at Seattle Opera. Photo: David Jaewon Oh.

Audiences have one last weekend to catch Seattle Opera’s latest production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, which has taken the city by storm. Concocted by visionary director Barrie Kosky and mixed-media theater group 1927, the production blends hand-drawn animations with silent film aesthetics in a unique, fully animated film projected over live performers. Read what critics have to say about this audacious new production, and don’t miss your chance to see The Magic Flute, playing at McCaw Hall until March 9. Tickets and info at seattleopera.org/flute.

THE MAGIC FLUTE in Pop Culture

The Magic Flute is one of the operas with tunes so catchy and recognizable, even those who have never seen a performance of it have probably heard its music. Whether it’s the overture played as background music at the mall on an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or a music box on an episode of House bringing Papageno’s "Das klinget so herrlich" front and center, The Magic Flute is definitely in the pop culture landscape.

How is this Magic Flute Different?

by Jonathan Dean

Seattle Opera's 2017 production of The Magic Flute, featuring costumes designed by Zandra Rhodes. Photo © Jacob Lucas

The Magic Flute is one of the world’s favorite operas, and Seattle Opera has presented it many times—once in a charming production by Maurice Sendak (of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Nutcracker fame), once in a whimsical version by British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, and most recently (2017) in an eye-popping production with costumes by fashion legend Zandra Rhodes.

A Magical Storybook

by Ulrich Lenz

Barrie Kosky, Suzanne Andrade, and Paul Barritt on flying elephants, the world of silent film, and the eternal search for love.

© Jaro Suffner

Director's Statement by Kevin Newbury

Kevin Newbury, Stage Director of Fellow Travelers. © Marcus Shields

In the 2025/26 season, Seattle Opera will present Fellow Travelers, one of the most frequently performed new operas of the past decade, in collaboration with New York-based artistic collective Up Until Now, as part of a national project that brings this important story to stages across the country. This special initiative, which is launching in Seattle, is one of the largest consortium projects within the US opera industry and is headed by director Kevin Newbury (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs ’19) and producer Jecca Barry.

A Conversation with Russell Thomas

by Chloe Woodward

Photo by Fay Fox.

Russell Thomas, “a tenor of gorgeously burnished power” (The New York Times), returns to the McCaw Hall stage this January. Thomas sang the role of Ismaele in Nabucco (‘15), and we are excited to welcome him back as Aeneas in Les Troyens in Concert on January 17 & 19.

In this interview, he shares his favorite roles, his inspirations, his future goals, and more. 

Why a concert LES TROYENS?

Up next at Seattle Opera: a concert presentation of Part Two of Les Troyens, the epic based on Virgil’s Aeneid by Hector Berlioz. For two performances only, January 17 and 19, Seattleites will have a chance to hear this incredible show, rarely given in the United States, starring some of today’s leading singers, and with an orchestra of 80 and chorus of 60. Opera-lovers who heard Seattle Opera’s extremely successful concert presentation of Samson and Delilah in 2023 have an idea of what to expect. Although there won’t be full costumes, hair and make-up, sets, props, or complex staging, you’ll enjoy the music and follow the story thanks to lighting, supertitles, and intense performances by singers focused on touching you with their voices.

Mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges in our 2023 concert presentation of Samson and Delilah. Photo by Sunny Martini.

Get a preview of Lucidity, the new opera about music, memory loss, and human connection

Lucidity, the new chamber opera from composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist David Cote, opened this week at On Site Opera in New York City and arrives in Seattle one week later. The opera explores the connections between music and memory loss by following the entangled lives of four musicians at different stages of their lives and careers.

In conjunction with Lucidity’s premiere, NPR and The New York Times each sat down with the opera’s creators and performers to learn more about how this trenchant new work came to be.