Speight Jenkins

January 31, 1937

Dallas, Texas, United States

He served in the United States. Army, and later became a music critic and journalist. He worked for seven years at Opera News as its news and reports editor, and later at the New York Post from 1973 to 1981 as music critic. He has been a host for United States. television"s Live from the Metropolitan Opera and a guest speaker on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. In the early 1980s, Jenkins was a guest lecturer at Seattle Opera for the company"s production of Richard Wagner"s Der Ring des Nibelungen. His knowledge impressed the Seattle Opera board of trustees, such that they offered him the post of general director of the companyand he began his tenure in that post with the company in 1983. His contract was extended for another ten years, and in 2003, he signed another 10-year extension to his contract. At Seattle Opera he has produced two complete cycles of Wagner"s Ring and new productions of the other six frequently produced Wagner operas, as well as new productions of Prokofiev"s War and Peace, Debussy"s Pelléas et Mélisande, Dvorak"s Rusalka, Bellini"s Norma, Gluck"s Orfeo ed Euridice and Iphigénie en Tauride, four Strauss operas, many by Verdi and Puccini, plus several contemporary works. In 2010 Seattle Opera gave the world premiere of Amelia, by Daron Hagen. Jenkins has stepped down as General Director of Seattle Opera, and has been replaced by Aidan Language, as of August 2014.

Speight Jenkins

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writer opera company executive

Background

Jenkins, Speight was born on January 31, 1937 in Dallas, Texas, United States. Son of Speight and Sara (Baird) Jenkins.

Education

Bachelor of Arts, University Texas-Austin, 1957; Bachelor of Laws, Columbia University, 1961; Doctor of Music (honorary), University Puget Sound, 1992; HHD, Seattle U., 1992.

Career

He served in the United States. Army, and later became a music critic and journalist. He worked for seven years at Opera News as its news and reports editor, and later at the New York Post from 1973 to 1981 as music critic. He has been a host for United States. television"s Live from the Metropolitan Opera and a guest speaker on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts.

In the early 1980s, Jenkins was a guest lecturer at Seattle Opera for the company"s production of Richard Wagner"s Der Ring des Nibelungen.

His knowledge impressed the Seattle Opera board of trustees, such that they offered him the post of general director of the companyand he began his tenure in that post with the company in 1983. His contract was extended for another ten years, and in 2003, he signed another 10-year extension to his contract.

At Seattle Opera he has produced two complete cycles of Wagner"s Ring and new productions of the other six frequently produced Wagner operas, as well as new productions of Prokofiev"s War and Peace, Debussy"s Pelléas et Mélisande, Dvorak"s Rusalka, Bellini"s Norma, Gluck"s Orfeo ed Euridice and Iphigénie en Tauride, four Strauss operas, many by Verdi and Puccini, plus several contemporary works. In 2010 Seattle Opera gave the world premiere of Amelia, by Daron Hagen.

Jenkins has stepped down as General Director of Seattle Opera, and has been replaced by Aidan Language, as of August 2014.

Achievements

Speight Jenkins has been listed as a notable Opera company executive, writer by Marquis Who's Who.

Membership

Served to captain United States Army, 1961-1966. Member Phi Beta Kappa Associations.

Connections

Married Linda Ann Sands, September 6, 1966. Children: Linda Leonie, Speight.

Father:: Speight Jenkins
Mother:: Sara (Baird) Jenkins
Spouse:: Linda Ann Sands
child:: Linda Leonie Jenkins
child:: Speight Jenkins

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Speight Jenkins

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