The company's season runs from August through late May, comprising five or six operas of eight to ten performances each, often featuring double casts in major roles to allow for successive evening presentations.

[4] Early in his tenure, Jenkins stated a goal of producing all ten of the major Wagner works in Seattle.

[6] His tenure included productions of contemporary operas such as As One (Laura Kaminsky) An American Dream (Jack Perla).

[8] In March 2019, the company announced the appointment of Christina Scheppelmann as its next general director, the first woman to be named to the post, effective with the 2019-2020 season.

[10] In June 2023, Seattle Opera announced the scheduled conclusion of Scheppelmann's tenure as general director at the close of the 2023-2024 season.

[12][13] His previous work at Seattle Opera included a 2004 production of Carmen that was the largest ticket-seller in the company's history.

By 1982, the cycle was drawing opera lovers from all over the United States, as well as many other countries of the world, and Seattle appeared to be a serious rival to Bayreuth.

Conductors included Armin Jordan (Die Walküre in 1985), Manuel Rosenthal (1986), and Hermann Michael (1987, 1991, and 1995).

Jenkins engaged a new creative team to conceive Seattle Opera's third Ring production, which was unveiled in 2000 (Das Rheingold and Die Walküre) and 2001 (full cycle) and returned in 2005, 2009, and 2013.

Some of the notable performers who have appeared in productions include: George Fiore was Seattle Opera's choral director from 1983 through 2000.