James Robinson, the longtime artistic director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and director of some of its most acclaimed productions, is going to Seattle. Robinson begins his new job as the general and artistic director of Seattle Opera in September.
Robinson has held his current position at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis since 2008, which general director Andrew Jorgenson notes is an unusually long time in the opera world. “It has been an extraordinary privilege for Opera Theatre to enjoy James’ contributions as an artistic collaborator and a colleague for so many years, and we are thrilled for him as he begins this new chapter at Seattle Opera,” Jorgensen said in a press release. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with him as a stage director in future seasons and cannot wait to see what he accomplishes in his new post leading another of our country’s most exciting opera companies!”
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Robinson was responsible for some of Opera Theatre’s most exciting productions, including 15 of the 16 world premieres it debuted during his tenure. That includes Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which Robinson later directed at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, as well as an adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown and 2022’s triumphant (and near-total) reworking of Harvey Milk. More recently, Robinson directed a production of Tosca that managed to be genuinely jaw-dropping (no easy feat for a 120-year-old opera) and this past season’s gorgeous Galileo Galilei. In that time, he also found time to direct an acclaimed production of Porgy and Bess at the Met and direct a Carmen for the Seattle Opera that shattered company attendance records.
“We are thrilled to have a leader of James’s caliber join us as general and artistic
director of Seattle Opera,” said Jonathan Rosoff, chair of the search committee for Seattle Opera. “An accomplished stage director and administrator, James is widely recognized as a leading creative force in this industry, and his productions have appeared at many of the world’s most respected opera houses. Between his steadfast leadership, his impressive record of innovation, and his deep knowledge of opera, we are confident that James will make an immediate impact at Seattle Opera and lead the company into an exciting and inventive new era.”
OTSL notes that Robinson will be back to direct productions in St. Louis. In 2025, that will include the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon, Lynn Nottage, and Ruby Aiyo Gerber’s This House, about a Harlem brownstone and the family it’s housed since the 1920s.
“It’s been one of the great joys of my life to serve as artistic director at OTSL alongside so many incredibly talented colleagues and artists,” Robinson said in a statement. “I also have to thank the St. Louis community for their fervent support of opera, both contemporary and classic, over the years. I will always count myself a part of the Opera Theatre family, and look forward to returning in the 2025 Festival Season to direct the world premiere of This House and celebrate OTSL’s 50th anniversary!”
