Seattle Opera to Stage ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ & ‘X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X’

By Francisco Salazar

The Seattle Opera has announced two new operas for its 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons continuing its commitment to contemporary works.

The company will first present the world premiere of its commission, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” based on author Khaled Hosseini’s 2007 award-winning novel of the same name. The work will be presented in February of 2023.

The following season the company will partner with the Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Omaha, and The Metropolitan Opera to produce a brand-new staging of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” by Anthony Davis.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” is set to tell the story of two Afghan women. American composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos adapted Hosseini’s novel for the opera stage with Afghan film producer and director Roya Sadat set to direct the world-premiere production. American conductor Viswa Subbaraman conducts the opera.

Meanwhile, “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” will be directed by Robert O’Hara and conducted by Maestro Kazem Abdullah.

In a statement, General Director Christina Scheppelmann, said, “We are continuing to demonstrate our commitment to presenting works that reflect and tell the stories of our lives today. By staging these offerings we’re ensuring that diverse perspectives and stories are increasingly part of our mainstage works.”

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