Met Opera Premieres Mazzoli's Lincoln in the Bardo
Missy Mazzoli's new opera, adapted from George Saunders' Booker Prize-winning novel, premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Opera
The Metropolitan Opera premiered Missy Mazzoli's opera "Lincoln in the Bardo" on October 19, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. The work is based on George Saunders' Booker Prize-winning novel and is scheduled for nine performances.
Why it matters
The production brings a Booker Prize-winning novel to the stage of one of the nation's most prominent opera houses, giving New York audiences a new large-scale American work. Its focus on a grieving president and his dead son gives the story a direct, personal weight.
The Metropolitan Opera has scheduled nine performances of the production following its October 19 premiere. The extraction provides no box office, ticket sales, or attendance figures for the run.
The players
Missy Mazzoli
Missy Mazzoli is a composer whose opera "Lincoln in the Bardo" was adapted from George Saunders' novel.
George Saunders
George Saunders is an author whose novel "Lincoln in the Bardo" won the Booker Prize and inspired the opera.
Yannick Nezet-Seguin
Yannick Nezet-Seguin is a conductor who led the orchestra for the opera's premiere at the Metropolitan Opera.
Peter Mattei
Peter Mattei is a baritone who stars as Abraham Lincoln in the production.
Christine Goerke
Christine Goerke is a soprano who sings the role of the Reverend in the production.
The details
Set in Georgetown's Oakhill Cemetery, the opera follows Lincoln as he visits his son Willie's crypt late at night and cradles the boy's body, paralyzed by grief over the death of his 11-year-old son from typhoid fever. By the end, Willie accepts that he is dead and Lincoln leaves the cemetery.
Timeline
October 19: World premiere of "Lincoln in the Bardo" at the Metropolitan Opera
Historical Frame
The opera draws on the real loss of Abraham Lincoln's son Willie, who died of typhoid fever in 1862 while his father led the country through the Civil War. Mazzoli's adaptation places that private grief at the center of a work built from Saunders' fiction.
The production runs for nine performances at the Metropolitan Opera, so tickets are available only for those dates. Audiences in New York City can see the work during this limited run.
The takeaway
The premiere shows how a prize-winning novel can be translated into opera, with the emotional core of a father's grief carried through music and a small, focused cast. Readers interested in the work can follow its nine-performance run at the Metropolitan Opera.
Further reading
For more on the city's stage traditions, explore Opera coverage across New York City.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The North State Journal.
