(Photo by Rebecca Allen)

Seattle Opera has named composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Deborah Brevoort as Creative Directors of the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab, the company’s new-works incubator program for emerging opera composers and librettists.

Kaminsky and Brevoort, both of whom previously served as Creation Lab mentors, will redesign the program’s curriculum and guide up-and-coming composer-librettist teams in developing new works for the opera stage.

“There has been a resurgence of new work in American opera over the last 15 years, fueled by the audience’s need for stories that speak to contemporary life in the diverse communities that make up America,” said Kaminsky, composer of “As One” and “Lucidity,” per an official press release. “I am eager to foster the next generation of creators as they explore the creative and dramatic possibilities of this genre.”

“For opera to continue to thrive in the US, it must speak to the current moment and bring to the stage new stories that resonate with contemporary audiences,” added Brevoort, the 2023 Campbell Opera Librettist Prize winner. “The Jane Lang Creation Lab provides that training to the Pacific Northwest’s most talented artists.”

Established in 2020, the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab selects three composer-librettist teams for an 18-month program, culminating in the presentation of 20-minute works at the Opera Center in March 2028. Previous participants have gone on to subsequent performances at companies including Kitsap Opera and Lowbrow Opera Collective.

Read Related Stories

• Seattle Opera Announces ‘Timothée Chalamet Discount’ Code for ‘Carmen’

• Brenda Rae, Jamie Barton, Daniela Mack, Aigul Khismatullina, Mané Galoyan, Sylvia D’Eramo Headline Seattle Opera’s 2026-27 Season