The audience for the show-within-a-show, in Act 2 of PAGLIACCI, grows rowdy and impatient waiting for the curtain to go up. When a performer rings a bell to indicate it’s (finally) time to begin, the audience all scream “Silenzio!” (Silence) at each other, seemingly reluctant to follow their own advice. Carlo Montanaro conducts the orchestra of Seattle Opera. Photo by Philip Newton.

PAGLIACCI: “On with the show!”

Founded in 1963, Seattle Opera is a leading American opera company. The company presents the classics of the European repertoire as well as new works of American opera. Frequent productions of Wagner's RING, beginning in 1975, established the company's worldwide reputation. Seattle Opera usually presents five opera productions each year.

Christopher Hart is an acclaimed musician and composer with a rich foundation in classical and contemporary music.

Christopher's love for composition took flight in 1990, and he has since established himself as a highly regarded film score composer, delivering five critically acclaimed scores for the 12 Westerns in 12 Months project. His score for "Counting Bullets" earned Festival Director’s Choice for Best Score at the Cowpokes International Film Festival in 2022, and the soundtrack for “Heart of the Gun" topped 40,000 streams on Amazon Music in a mere two months.

Encouraged by his mother, a church pianist, he began singing and playing instruments at a young age. He honed his skills through piano and trumpet lessons, choir performances, and college bands, eventually discovering a passion for opera during grad school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

In addition to his composing, Christopher is a versatile performer, singing with Opera Mississippi and arranging music for stage bands, concert bands, and choirs. With a vision to develop his hybrid film soundtrack style, blending orchestral and synth elements, he is dedicated to collaborating with film directors and bringing new life to each film. Christopher is driven to compose full-time and is eager to work with more directors, continually evolving his musical style. Born in Ottumwa, Iowa and now residing in McComb, Mississippi, Christopher Hart works as a director of music, arts, and media at a local church, inspired by his mother and encouraged by his wife, an artist in her own right.