How punk rock and MTV inspired opera composer Missy Mazzoli
Summary
Composer Missy Mazzoli’s opera “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on George Saunders’s novel, is debuting at the Metropolitan Opera. The production marks the first time the Met has premiered an opera by a woman, according to the article; Mazzoli says punk music and MTV helped shape her artistic interests.Key Facts
- Mazzoli is 45 and has composed music for opera and other works.
- Her parents bought her a piano at a flea market when she was seven, and she began writing music a few years later.
- Mazzoli said she played in punk bands and watched MTV for hours as a child.
- “Lincoln in the Bardo” tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln grieving the death of his 11-year-old son, Willie.
- Mazzoli said the opera’s setting during the Civil War felt relevant because the country was deeply divided.
- The Met production includes elaborate costumes, puppetry, special effects and a large horse.
- Mazzoli and lyricist Royce Vavrek also premiered “The Galloping Cure,” an opera about the opioid epidemic, that summer.
- Mazzoli has an upcoming piano concerto commissioned by the New York Philharmonic.
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