Category Archive Seattle

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Jorell Williams in Recital

It’s hard to keep up with all the new material Seattle Opera is releasing these days, but it’s a good kind of trouble to have. Most recently, I watched Jorell Williams in recital – can you say “at Seattle Opera” when the recital was actually filmed in Toronto? Let’s say Jorell Williams in recital for Seattle Opera. Williams followed the now-familiar format of introductions against a neutral backdrop and songs performed on-stage with a pianist. But the format was the only unsurprising part of the recital.

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Seattle Opera’s Pagliacci Highlights Recital

Seattle Opera has been releasing content at a shocking rate this fall – new performances are posted every Friday. After so much new digital content, you’d think that people would know what to expect by now. But nearly everything I’ve seen so far has been a different “type” of production. From the summer’s at-home recitals to a semi-staged production to an on-stage recital, there are so many ways to produce a physically distant opera performance. It’s hard to keep up, so there’s already new content available, but the most recent thing I’ve seen was Seattle Opera’s Pagliacci Highlights Recital.

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PNB@Home: Pacific Northwest Ballet’s 2020 Virtual Season

After Covid cancelled half a season of Pacific Northwest Ballet performances, and Seattle Dance Collective put out a great virtual summer season, I bought season tickets to PNB@Home without paying much attention to what it involved. I just knew I wanted to support the company and make sure it was still around when “real” ballet was possible again. But then I saw the first program of the virtual season, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it just as much as a night at McCaw Hall. So now I’m taking a closer look at the rest of the season.

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PNB@Home Rep 1

This is the post where I put the cart before the horse. Between paid work and keeping up with Seattle Opera’s weekly online releases, I haven’t had a chance to preview Pacific Northwest Ballet’s virtual season. But PNB@Home Rep 1 posted last night, and it’s only available until Monday, so I have to write about it now or anyone who reads this won’t have a chance to see it. And missing this program would be a shame.

I’ve watched a lot of art online since the pandemic started, and while virtual performances are better than nothing, they are rarely better than live ones. But I rank this first program of PNB’s online 2020-2021 season among some of my favorite nights of ballet since that fateful Nutcracker in 1992 that hooked me on the art form.

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Frederick Ballentine in Recital at Seattle Opera

This year, for the first time since I aged out of the Bravo Club, I bought season tickets to the opera. The season is one unlike any other ever programmed by Seattle Opera – or any other opera company for that matter. Seattle Opera’s Fall 2020 season is entirely online. It kicked off with a semi-staged performance of Cavalleria rusticana highlights (available online by subscription through October 16). Last weekend they posted the second event, a recital by Frederick Ballentine.

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