"Mazzoli and Vavrek are among the finest partnerships in opera today. They have a sincere, intelligent feel for theater" — Joshua Barone, The New York Times
Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek's Lincoln in the Bardo received its world premiere on October 19 at the Metropolitan Opera, marking the company's first world premiere by a woman composer. Adapted from George Saunders' Booker Prize-winning novel, the work transforms the story of Abraham Lincoln's grief following the death of his son Willie into a large-scale meditation on loss, memory, and our own mortality.
Lincoln in the Bardo is the sixth collaboration between Mazzoli and Vavrek, following the acclaimed world premiere of The Galloping Cure at the Edinburgh International Festival, with that opera set to receive its U.S. premiere in San Francisco next season.
Christine Goerke as the Reverend | © Karen Almond / Met Opera
Reviewing the premiere for The New York Times, Joshua Barone described Lincoln in the Bardo as "funny, strange and big-hearted," praising Mazzoli and Vavrek's adaptation alongside Lileana Blain-Cruz's "lavishly inspired production." In The Times, Emma Hoffman wrote, "I have never heard the Met audience laugh so much outside a buffo comedy," highlighting the wit and theatricality of Vavrek's adaptation.
The production is led by conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Steven Osgood and directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, with a cast including Peter Mattei, Christine Goerke, Janai Brugger, Stephanie Blythe, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Ryan McKinny. The creative team includes set designer Adam Rigg, choreographer Raja Feather Kelly, and costume designer Montana Levi Blanco. Co-commissioned by Santa Fe Opera and co-produced with the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Lincoln in the Bardo runs at the Metropolitan Opera through November 14, 2026.
Watch & Learn More
The Making Of ‘Lincoln In The Bardo’ – The Opera | Service95
George Saunders Discusses "Spectacle" of the Met's Opera Adaptation of His Book Lincoln in the Bardo
Works & Process: The Metropolitan Opera: Lincoln in the Bardo by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek
NPR: 'Lincoln in the Bardo' takes a distinctly American grief to the Met stage
The New York Times: Pushing Opera Into the Future With Dance Beats, Kazoos and Abe Lincoln
The New York Times: Live from the 10th floor, ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ in the Office
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For more information about Missy Mazzoli and her works, please contact Peggy Monastra.
