Missy Mazzoli Makes Met History as First Woman to Premiere Opera There

At a Brooklyn punk show, Missy Mazzoli explained how the raw intensity of bands like Mannequin Pussy and endless MTV viewing shaped her musical voice. Her latest opera, "Lincoln in the Bardo," opened at the Metropolitan Opera, making her the first female composer to have a work premiered in the house's 143-year history. The piece dramatizes President Abraham Lincoln’s mourning of his son Willie, set against the backdrop of a divided Civil-War America, and includes striking visuals such as puppetry, special effects and a large horse.

Royce Vavrek supplied the libretto, and the production follows Mazzoli's recent opera "The Galloping Cure," which tackled the opioid epidemic. In addition to the Met debut, she is slated for a piano concerto commission from the New York Philharmonic and continues to run Luna Lab, a nonprofit that mentors teen composers.