SEATTLE June 9, 2026 — Seattle Opera announced today that composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Deborah Brevoort have been named Creative Directors of the company’s new-works incubator program, the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab. Kaminsky and Brevoort, who both previously served as Creation Lab mentors, will redesign the Creation Lab curriculum and serve as mentors for up-and-coming composers and librettists looking to tell diverse and innovative stories on the opera stage.
“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,” said Brevoort. “But to do that we need composers and librettists trained in the art of writing for the opera stage. As we enter this new phase of the program, I ask, what would an opera based in Pacific Northwest life sound and look like? What kinds of stories would it tell? The Jane Lang Creation Lab provides that training to the Pacific Northwest’s most talented artists.”
“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,” added Kaminsky, whose operas As One and Lucidity were produced by Seattle Opera in 2016 and 2024. “These works tell stories about the world in which we live, are smaller in scale, shorter in length, and diverse in musical style. This growing body of chamber opera that addresses current issues of our day is creating vibrancy in a field often thought to be ‘old world’ and ‘stuffy.’ I am eager to foster the next generation of creators as they explore the creative and dramatic possibilities of this genre.”
Established in 2020, the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab seeks to cultivate emerging opera composers and librettists from the Pacific Northwest. Over the course of an 18-month program, three composer-librettist teams will learn the craft of collaborative writing for the opera stage, receiving support from professional composers and librettists as they develop their work. The program culminates in the presentation of new, 20-minute works at the Opera Center in March 2028. Previous projects have received subsequent performances at companies such as Kitsap Opera and Lowbrow Opera Collective.
“We are very excited for Laura and Deborah to spearhead this program,” said Lōkela Alexander Minami, Co-Director of Programs & Partnerships, Community Engagement. “They are not only leaders in the field, but also experienced instructors with deep connections to the 
Pacific Northwest. Under their guidance, we have sharpened and expanded this training program, and we can’t wait to see how the next cohort of participants will bring the innovative spirit of the region to bear on this powerfully expressive and adaptable art form of opera.”
Seattle Opera welcomes applications from composers, songwriters, librettists, lyricists, playwrights, and poets of all genres who reside in Washington, Oregon, or Idaho and are at least 18 years of age. Applications for the 2028 cohort are now open, with a deadline of August 2, 2026. Applications and eligibility requirements can be found at seattleopera.org/creationlab.