Nicholas McGegan brings delicacy and elegance to Mendelssohn

By Erica Miner, 19 April 2026

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“recreating the composer’s magical transparency and supernatural airiness”

Reviewed at Benaroya Hall, S Mark Taper Auditorium, Seattle on 18 April 2026

Mendelssohn, The Fair Melusina, overture in F major, Op.32

Mendelssohn, Three Motets for female chorus, Op.39 (arr. McGegan)

Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream: Overture, Op.21

Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op.61 (Incidental Music)

Ksenia Popova, Soprano

Sarah Larsen, Mezzo-soprano

Julie Briskman, Actor

Ryan Higgins, Actor

Seattle Symphony Chorale

Seattle Symphony

Nicholas McGegan, Conductor

A rite of spring turned inward: Strauss’ Daphne at Seattle Opera

Thomas May, 16th January

Presented without staging, Seattle Opera’s concert Daphne places Strauss’ extreme vocal demands and saturated orchestral writing in sharp relief, offering a high-risk encounter with a rarely heard late opera.

****1

Ioffe conducts the Seattle Symphony in varied faces of Romanticism

Thomas May, 8th January

Barber and Bernstein shine in this program exploring sharply contrasting faces of 20th-century Romanticism under guest conductor Alevtina Ioffe.

****1

Ivars Taurins leads the Seattle Symphony in Baroque feast

Thomas May, 16th October

A lean Seattle Symphony under guest conductor Ivars Taurins brings stylish energy to Baroque orchestral theater by Telemann, Hasse and Handel.

****1

Morlot returns to lead Seattle Symphony’s season-closing showcase

Thomas May, 19th June

Two rhapsodies anchor a program that ranges from brass-driven bravura to Ravel’s iridescent orchestral color. Seattle Symphony closes its season with breadth, nuance and elegant command from emeritus Ludovic Morlot.

****1

Peter Oundjian bridges the centuries in Seattle

Erica Miner, 15th March

The Seattle Symphony co-commissions a new work, Jan Lisiecki plays Mozart with religious fervor, and Stravinsky's Sacre still creates an uproar.

***11

Mozart meets Vaudeville in Seattle's silent movie Magic Flute

Erica Miner, 22nd February

Eye-popping, hand-drawn animation melds with Mozart's fantastical world and the silent film era to create a colorful and energetic new-to-Seattle production.

***11

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Erica Miner

As a Metropolitan Opera violinist Erica performed with James Levine, Leonard Bernstein and countless opera luminaries. Now an award-winning author, screenwriter, arts journalist and lecturer, Erica’s opera presentations include Wagner Societies in California, New York, Boston, North Carolina and Sydney, Australia. Her recently released novel Aria for Murder, the first in her ‘Operatic Mystery’ series, authentically reflects her experiences in the Met Orchestra. Sequels are due in 2023 and 2024. Erica’s personal website is here.

In Seattle, Nicholas McGegan brings delicacy and elegance to Mendelssohn