Happy Wagner's Birthday!

Richard Wagner was born 196 years ago today (yes, that's right; 2013 will be a big year for the opera world) and May 22 has always been a holiday at Seattle Opera. Some years, we're actually able to take the day off! Today, however, they're hard at work rehearsing the Ring. Enormous sets have already been loaded into the theater; the Rhinedaughters have been building up their muscles in our flying harnesses (and at the Queen Anne pool); our terrific music staff--Maestro Robert Spano, Cover Conductor Evan Rogister, Assistant Conductor Phil Kelsey, and coaches David McDade, Justina Lee, Kelly Kuo, and Jay Rozendaal--are busily putting the singers through their paces, while Director Stephen Wadsworth and Associate Directors Gina Lapinski and Tomer Zvulun are blazing a path up Wagner's mountain of scenework.

Roll up your sleeves, everybody! It's going to be quite a summer!