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⬤ CRITICAL 25 Oct 2026, 14:21 UTC

"Lincoln in the Bardo" composer Missy Mazzoli

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.
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