Composer Missy Mazzoli is the first woman ever to have an opera premiered by the Metropolitan Opera. Based on the award-winning novel by George Saunders, Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek’s “Lincoln in the Bardo” depicts Abraham Lincoln mourning his 11-year-old son, Willie, whose passing has led the young boy to a threshold place between the living and the dead. Correspondent Faith Salie talks with Mazzoli about the opera and the influence that punk rock and music videos had on her work.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” composer Missy Mazzoli
Oct 25, 2026 | 10:21 AM









