I'm always interested in seeing new operas... this season's Dr. Atomic as seen at The Metropolitan Opera a good case in point... so the announcement of the world premiere production of Amelia at the Seattle Opera in May 2010 caught my eye. It is the first new opera commissioned under Speight Jenkins' tenure as artistic director in Seattle, and has a score by American composer Daron Aric Hagen, libretto by poet Gardner McFall, and a story by director Stephen Wadsworth, based on McFall's collection of poetry, The Pilot's Daughter.
Gerard Schwarz conducts, with a trio of top-notch designers as the creative team: Thomas Lynch (sets), Duane Schuler (lighting), and Ann Hould Ward (costumes), in her Seattle Opera debut. The action spans a 30-year period in both the U.S. and Vietnam. And interestingly, part of the libretto will be sung in Vietnamese.
To keep an eye on this promising production: www.seattleopera.org