Seattle Opera "Countdown to the 50th!" 1984 Dale Duesing in TANNHAÜSER

Help us celebrate great moments in Seattle Opera history as we approach our golden anniversary. This week, we remember 1984, when new General Director Speight Jenkins brought supertitles to Seattle Opera for the first time for the company’s only production of Wagner’s “Tannhäuser.” The production featured the Seattle Opera debuts of Hermann Michael (conductor) and Dale Duesing (Wolfram). Here Duesing sings a bit of Wolfram’s “O du mein holder Abendstern,” asking the evening star to shine gently on the lady of his heart and bear her his love. The American baritone went on to sing Don Giovanni, Werther, Figaro, Marcello, Papageno, Eisenstein, Valentin, Eugene Onegin, Guglielmo, Jonathan Wade, and Horace Tabor for the company. Photo by Chris Bennion.