Lincoln in the Bardo, in particular, really lends itself to the operatic stage, in that it’s very surreal. We have one foot in reality, but one foot very much not. … And I think that those sorts of stories really come to life on the stage.
Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek brought the world premiere of Lincoln in the Bardo
to the Metropolitan Opera House on October 19, 2026, marking the first time the institution commissioned an opera from a female composer amidst ongoing financial pressures.
Opening Night at the Metropolitan Opera
The blue curtain draped across the stage on October 19, 2026, signaled an unusual opening night at Lincoln Center (the Metropolitan Opera production).
Electronic sounds permeated the space alongside the orchestra.
Yannick Nezer-Seguin led the orchestra through a detailed, colorful reading of Missy Mazzoli’s score. The score adapts George Saunders’ 2017 Booker Prize-winning novel (the world premiere production).
The novel’s core concept draws from Tibetan Buddhism. It frames the bardo as a liminal space between physical death and rebirth where spirits refuse to accept their fates (the book’s adaptation).
Baritone Peter Mattei stars as Abraham Lincoln. Young treble Everett Sobers plays his deceased son, Willie, whose death from typhoid fever in February 1862 sets the narrative in motion (the central figures).
A large ensemble of ghosts surrounds them in Georgetown’s Oakhill Cemetery. These spirits refer to their coffins as sick-boxes and struggle to let go of their past lives (the ghosts populating the cemetery).
Soprano Christine Goerke appears as the Reverend. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo plays Miss Elise Traynor, Ryan McKinny plays Vollman, and Jonah Hoskins plays Bevins (gender-switching casting choices).
Lincoln in the Bardo, in particular, really lends itself to the operatic stage, in that it’s very surreal. We have one foot in reality, but one foot very much not. … And I think that those sorts of stories really come to life on the stage.
Missy Mazzoli, composer, via North Country Public Radio
Financial Strains and Creative Risks at Lincoln Center
The high-profile premiere arrives while the 143-year-old institution attempts to reverse annual losses and credit rating downgrades (the company’s financial struggles).
The Met partnered with Zohran Mamdani under a program unveiled last month to distribute tickets.
General Manager Peter Gelb explained that taking bold artistic gambles remains the organization’s only viable survival strategy (Met General Manager Peter Gelb).
The only possible path out of the financial struggles and challenges we face is by being bold, by demonstrating the absolutely indispensable nature of the Met as a cultural institution.
Peter Gelb, Metropolitan Opera General Manager, via Agence France-Presse
The company previously attempted to stabilize its financial footing through a partnership with the Saudi Music Commission announced in September 2025. That agreement collapsed due to regional cutbacks tied to the U.S.-Iran conflict.
The house launched two separate world premieres across two continents within a four-day span, including the Warsaw debut of Mothers of Kherson
(dual world premiere operas).
Performances and Staging in the Graveyard Netherworld
Critical reception of the staging highlighted a tension between the rich orchestral score and Royce Vavrek’s crowded libretto (Great music, moving moments vie with libretto).
Reviewers praised Mattei’s gentle, deeply felt portrayal of the grieving president and Sobers’ vocal poise as Willie. Critics noted that accommodating the novel’s vast array of spirits resulted in narrative crowding (Great music, moving moments vie with libretto).
Lileana Blain-Cruz’s direction relied on James Ortiz’s creature suits and puppets to bring the supernatural elements to the stage (James Ortiz’s puppets).
Goerke described her role as the Reverend as a career milestone (Goerke… said she was thrilled).
I have waited my whole life to have a role written for me,
she noted of the gender-swapped character (soprano Christine Goerke is the Reverend).
Willie has accepted the fact that he is dead in the opera’s final moments. Lincoln leaves the cemetery, ready to take up his burden guiding the nation during the Civil War (In the opera’s final scene).
Lincoln in the Bardo Runs Through November 14
Lincoln in the Bardo
runs at the Metropolitan Opera through November 14.
Michael Hurst is scheduled to step into the role of Willie on October 31 and November 14 (Michael Hurst replaces Sobers).
Gelb has confirmed that future seasons will feature additional works by Mazzoli (Gelb promises there will be more Mazzoli).