Glynn W. Ross papers, circa 1963-2005

Glynn Ross, founding General Director of the Seattle Opera, was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1914 and died in Tucson, Arizona in 2005.

As an American administrator in opera, Ross gained extensive experience as stage director at the Teatro S Carlo, Naples (1945–1947, 1960–1963), becoming the first American to direct in a major Italian house. Later, he was stage producer at the San Francisco Opera (1948, 1950–1960), Los Angeles Opera Theater (1948–1960), Fort Worth Opera (1948–1956), New Orleans Opera Association (1949–1962), Northwest Grand Opera Association, Seattle (1953–1955), and the Opera Company of Philadelphia (1960–1962).

In 1963, Ross moved to Seattle, where he founded the Seattle Opera Association. The Association performed in the model opera house built for the World’s Fair, which was held in Seattle in 1962. Ross served as the general director of Seattle Opera until 1983. During his tenure, he staged the company’s productions and organized tours to other cities. Under his guidance, the company became noted for its annual Ring cycles with two casts, one singing in German and the other in English.

While in Seattle, Ross created and directed several new organizations and festivals. In 1970, he founded Opera America – an organization that incorporates many of the professional opera companies in the United States as well as Canada. Furthermore, Ross also helped create Pacific Northwest Ballet (1972) as part of the Seattle Opera as well as the Pacific Northwest Wagner Festival (1975).

In 1983, Ross left Seattle to become the general director of the Arizona Opera Company, where he stayed until his retirement in 1998. While in Arizona, the National Institute for Music Theater and Kennedy Center presented Ross with an award for the “Advancement of American Music Theater.” Other notable awards Ross received include Seattle’s Man of the Year in 1971, Outstanding Citizen of Omaha in 1976, the Governor of Washington Special Award in 1984, and the Lifetime Accomplishment in the Arts Award by Corporate Council for the Arts in Seattle, 1998.