Meet Seattle Opera's Next General and Artistic Director

James Robinson is Seattle Opera’s next General and Artistic Director, beginning September 4, 2024. Learn more about our dynamic new leader in this short Q&A interview, where he discusses why he’s eager to come to Seattle Opera, his philosophy for creating new works and his approach to the standard repertory, his drive for artistic excellence, and what he enjoys doing in his free time.

Seattle Opera's next General and Artistic Director, James Robinson. © David Jaewon Oh

Seattle Opera: What excites you about being Seattle Opera’s next General Director?

James Robinson: I’m excited because Seattle is an “Opera Town!” That’s not true for every American city. It’s in the city’s DNA, and I’m honored to be able to build on that rich tradition. I can’t wait to get to work creating art with and for the passionate audiences that have made Seattle Opera into the company it is today. 

And Seattle is a spectacularly beautiful city. It’s a dynamic city—a growing and youthful city. I can’t wait to be a full-time member of the community.

Seattle Opera: How would you define your approach to artistic excellence?

James Robinson: Artistic excellence starts with getting the best people in place for their respective roles. Fortunately, in my thirty-plus years in this business, I’ve worked at the finest opera companies with many of the best conductors, designers, singers, and others. My number one goal is to maintain the high artistic standards Seattle Opera already has and add my experiences to that.

Seattle Opera: You’ve built your career, in part, on creating new works and taking on newer works. Tell us about your philosophy on commissioning new work.

James Robinson: When I started at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, I was passionate about raising the profile of the company. We began by looking at adventurous programming: creating new operas and doing productions of newer works that may have been neglected. We started the New Works, Bold Voices initiative to produce completely new works likes Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and to take another look at contemporary works that were ready for a second look. Tobias Picker’s Emmeline was one of those pieces, as were a revised and expanded version of Huang Ruo’s An American Soldier and a new version of Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, among many others.

We developed the New Works, Bold Voices program in such a way to support creators who could embark on their first operas and to give them the leeway to write the stories they wanted to write. It was important to lay the groundwork with our local communities as the operas were being developed so just so they had some insights into the process, but also to generate enthusiasm. Lately, we have been working with community members to identify stories that they wanted to see on stage. That was an offshoot of New Works, Bold Voices called the New Works Collective. As I always say: Like politics, all arts are local.  So, it’s vital to include the community during the development process on many levels.

Seattle Opera: Why is it important to create new operas?

James Robinson: All operas were new at one point! I’d like to think that we’re not just in business of historic preservation. New works are vital to the art form in general and incredibly important to the development of audiences. 

Seattle Opera: Then how do you balance the old with the new?

James Robinson: Familiarity breeds familiarity. Meaning audiences love the classics and they come back to what they know and admire, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I love them too. But I don’t think you can build an entire season with the traditional repertoire. You’d exhaust that rep really fast! Nevertheless, for many people those pieces are the entry points to opera. But it’s also a fact that new works bring in new people. You can’t ignore that new pieces can sell incredibly well. I’ve seen them outpace standard rep on many occasions at the box office. Balancing the traditional with the new must be approached strategically. And we must realize that one size doesn’t fit most. We have to offer many types of experiences.

Seattle Opera: Among the traditional repertoire, what are some of your favorites? 

James Robinson: Where to start? I’m a huge Handel fan and consider Julius Caesar one of the greatest operas ever written. Madama Butterfly and La bohème still go right to my heart. Tristan is a personal favorite, especially act three.  I think The Marriage of Figaro is an opera I can’t live without.

Seattle Opera: What would you say are opera’s biggest challenges?

James Robinson: I say this jokingly: Opera was invented in 1607; in 1608, opera was in crisis. Opera has always faced challenges, but it has soldiered on. More than that, it has continued to transform itself over the centuries and has always found new voices. Coming out of the pandemic, our largest task is just getting people to come back to the opera house. Opera isn’t an experience you can get on Netflix. It’s our job to remind people of the great time they’ll experience in the opera house. We must create buzz about every single project that’s done. But look, opera isn’t the only industry facing this dilemma. Symphony orchestras and theatre companies are struggling a bit, too. The movie industry and other forms of entertainment are going through the same thing.

Seattle Opera: On the opposite side of that coin, what excites you about opera’s future?

James Robinson: My goodness, live opera is one of the most spectacular experiences anyone can have! The great singing, the great music, the great stories all working together to make great LIVE performances. There is nothing like it.

Seattle Opera: What do you like to do when you’re not thinking about opera?

James Robinson: I’m an avid outdoor person. To stay sane, I work out at Orange Theory and I’m glad to see there is an Orange Theory studio near the Opera Center! I’m also a runner. I’m big into cooking. My husband I are both cooks, and my signature dish is veal osso buco. I also make a mean Moroccan tagine.  

I’m also a classic movie buff. Two of my favorites are A Place in the Sun and All About Eve. But now that I’m thinking about it, there are twelve other films that I could add to that list. Every Hitchcock film! And I like different types of music—everything from Wagner to Sarah Vaughan to Nirvana. My new obsession is the singer Samara Joy.  

Seattle Opera: What’s the last piece of music you added to your play list?

James Robinson: Philip Glass’s Piano Etudes, performed by the composer. I read in The New York Times that Glass wrote the etudes to improve his own piano skills. At the same time, I was at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis directing Glass’s Galileo Galilei. Philip Glass filled my head, and I played the recording of the etudes over and over.

Seattle Opera: This is a tough question. What would you say is your favorite opera?

James Robinson: I hope this will not scare folks, but I just love Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress. I think it’s one of the most beautiful scores ever written and the moral fable it’s based on is so touching. It’s funny, poignant, and harrowing. It also has a perfect libretto. I think people think of Stravinsky still as a thorny modernist, but this opera has such heart and emotion.