Join Seattle Opera Associate Director of Community Engagement Alex Minami (German Studies, '10) as he discusses the company's upcoming production of The Magic Flute. Alex will also share insights into how his background in German Studies and experience studying abroad in Vienna led him to a career in opera, and he will discuss how Seattle Opera is finding innovative ways to present traditional works, strengthen its community connections, and cultivate new audiences.

The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion and open Q&A with Alex and UW German Studies faculty, highlighting innovative new courses (Annegret Oehme: "Monsters!" and Ellwood Wiggins: "Cultures of Music").  Questions we will discuss include: how to deal with problematic sexist and racist elements of traditional works in productions for contemporary Seattle audiences?  Why are these sometimes troubling works still relevant and important in our more "enlightened" age?

Followed by a catered reception with refreshments sponsored by Lee Scheingold.

Alex Minami is Associate Director of Community Engagement at Seattle Opera, where he curates the company’s community engagement initiatives and adult learning programs. Previously, Alex worked with foreign exchange students from Germany and Austria and served as Director of Operations of a youth leadership, foreign language, and global citizenship program for underserved high school students in Seattle. He holds a BA in German Cultural Studies and Political Science and an MA in International Studies: Middle East from the University of Washington, and he studied at the American University in Cairo on a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. He is originally from Kāne‘ohe, Hawai‘i.