James Robinson, a celebrated stage director and arts administrator who has worked at opera houses across the US and globe, is Seattle Opera’s fifth General and Artistic Director. He comes to the Pacific Northwest after serving as the Artistic Director at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for 16 years, where he directed numerous world premieres, among them Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, Jack Perla’s Shalimar the Clown, and Tobias Picker’s Awakenings. Additionally, he mounted innovative revivals of such operas as John Adams’ The Death of Klinghoffer and Nixon in China, Ricky Ian Gordon’s The Grapes of Wrath, Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei, and the American premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland.

At Seattle Opera, Robinson directed the 2004 production of Bizet’s Carmen, which sold the most tickets of any production in the company’s history.

Robinson’s work with companies of all sizes and with a wide range of resources has given him a keen insight into how opera companies can create art in a sustainable and innovative manner. During his time at OTSL, he oversaw the restructuring of the production department, streamlining the company’s workflow to allow for a more efficient allocation of resources. He also maintained strong relationships with donors, which resulted in a $45-million legacy gift in early 2020, at that time the largest in the company’s history.

James Robinson has directed three productions for the Metropolitan Opera: Porgy and Bess and Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones, the company’s first opera by an African American composer. He has directed numerous productions for Houston Grand Opera (The Abduction from the Seraglio, Giulio Cesare, Lucia di Lammermoor, La bohème,and the world premiere of Daniel Catán’s Salsipuedes), San Francisco Opera (Norma, The Elixir of Love, Il trittico,and the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne),the Canadian Opera Company (Norma, Elektra), and the Santa Fe Opera (Così fan tutte, Vanessa, the American premiere of Huang Ruo’s Dr. Sun Yat-sen,and the world premiere of his M. Butterfly). His work has also been seen in productions for Lyric Opera of Chicago, LA Opera, The Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, New York City Opera, the Royal Swedish Opera, English National Opera, the Dutch National Opera, Opera Australia, the Hollywood Bowl, the London Symphony, and many more.

As Artistic Director of Opera Colorado (1999–2008), Robinson spearheaded tremendous artistic and financial growth, in addition to helping to usher in the new Ellie Caulkins Opera House, where the company maintained successful collaborations with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.