General and Artistic Director James Robinson has announced three new appointments to run Seattle Opera’s departments of Artistic Administration & Planning and Programs & Partnerships.

The company said that Blaine Inafuku, a seasoned arts leader, will be the next Director of Artistic Administration & Planning. Meanwhile, Sara Litchfield and Lokela Alexander Minami have been appointed Co-Directors of Programs & Partnerships, overseeing Youth Education and Community Engagement, respectively.

Inafuku will lead the department’s operations and oversee casting and programming decisions, working closely with the General and Artistic Director. Litchfield and Minami, committed educators and arts leaders who have both been with Seattle Opera since 2018, will share oversight of the department that serves nearly 50,000 patrons annually through youth programs, community partnerships, and public events. Litchfield and Minami began in their roles in October 2025, while Inafuku started in December.

 In a statement Robinson said, “Blaine, Sara, and Alex all have long and distinguished track records with Seattle Opera and I am thrilled for them to be able to step into these new roles. Blaine has distinguished himself as a generous collaborator and an astute musician. His experience as an active musician performing with our partner organization, the Seattle Symphony, gives him a unique ability to build relationships with the artists who perform at Seattle Opera.”

 Of Litchfield and Minami, Robinson added, “Sara and Alex each bring an unparalleled wealth of institutional knowledge to their new roles, along with longstanding relationships with schools and community partners that they have cultivated over several years. They have demonstrated that they work very well together, so this new appointment is a natural fit and I couldn’t be happier to have them running our Programs & Partnerships department.”

 Inafuku has spent his career in artistic administration with premier organizations in Chicago, Santa Barbara, and Seattle, where he has managed high-profile projects at the intersection of music and theater. As Vice President of Artistic Administration at the Santa Barbara Symphony, he produced a staged “L’histoire du soldat”  narrated by Christopher Lloyd. An accomplished percussionist, Inafuku has performed with the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Minami began at Seattle Opera in October 2018 as Community Engagement Manager, followed later that month by Litchfield, who came on board as Youth and Family Programs Manager.

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