The Seattle Opera has announced that James Robinson will be its next General and Artistic Director of Seattle Opera.

Robinson will be the fifth person to lead the company in its 61-year history and will begin his tenure on September 4, 2024, replacing Christina Scheppelmann, who takes over as General and Artistic Director of Brussels’ La Monnaie/De Munt in January 2025 following the completion of her contract with Seattle Opera.

In his new leadership position, Robinson will manage Seattle Opera’s $25-million budget, overseeing an annual season that features five mainstage productions and a slate of community programs, classes, and public events.

Robinson comes to Seattle from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL), where he has served as Artistic Director since 2008. As Artistic Director at OTSL, he helped commissioned 11 world premieres and presented imaginative new productions of standard repertoire pieces.

Robinson is also a recognized stage director who has directed at least 75 new productions including Gershwins’ “Porgy and Bess” at the Metropolitan Opera and Bizet’s “Carmen” at Seattle Opera.

In a statement, Jonathan Rosoff, chair of the search committee said, “We are thrilled to have a leader of James’s caliber join us as General and Artistic Director of 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.”

Robinson added, “I couldn’t be more excited to be joining the tremendous staff and board at Seattle Opera. Seattle is an opera town. It has opera in its DNA, and I am 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.”