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An opera with roots at AOP receives its concert premiere! Tonight, October 29, @millertheatreatcu presents the concert premiere of MACABÉA, a new opera by composer Suzanne Farrin with a libretto by Sergio Chejfec, performed by @taleaensemble and conducted by @eduardo_leandro_music. AOP supported the opera through its early development beginning in 2021, receiving a @nyscouncilonthearts Individual Artist commissioning award for the work in progress. Based on Clarice Lispector’s THE HOUR OF THE STAR, under whose title the opera was originally developed, MACABÉA follows a young woman from Brazil’s impoverished Northeast navigating life in Rio de Janeiro. The concert also features baritone @christopherdylanherbert as Rodrigo, a role he previously performed during the opera’s development with AOP. Toi toi to Suzanne, Christopher, and the entire MACABÉA team! Photo: @suzannefarrincomposer by @robdavidsonmedia for Miller Theatre #AOPOpera #AmericanOperaProjects #AOP #NewOpera by @aopopera
AOP family composer @gregoryhspears brings a new work to @carnegiehall! Tonight, October 28, the @columbussymphony presents the New York premiere of Spears’ THE MYSTERIES at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium, conducted by @rossenmilanov. The work received its world premiere with the orchestra in Columbus on October 23 and 24. Spears is a 2007–09 alum of AOP’s @composersandthevoice, where his opera PAUL’S CASE (music by Spears, libretto by Spears and Kathryn Walat) originated during his time as a composer fellow. He then returned to the program as an Artistic Chair and composer mentor for the 2017–19 cycle, providing artistic guidance to the next generation of C&V fellows. Congratulations to Gregory and the Columbus Symphony on THE MYSTERIES’ New York premiere! Photo: @operafields, Siddhartha Misra, @tonimariepalmertree, @ahaiting, and @chloeoliviamoore in PAUL'S CASE. ConNEXTions: the Next Generation of Opera in Philadelphia, 2009. by @aopopera
AOP’s Board of Directors is made up of artists and arts leaders whose work extends far beyond the boardroom. We’re celebrating AOP Board Member and Resident Production Stage Manager W. Wilson “Bill” Jones, a recipient of the 2026 Stage Managers' Association Special Recognition Award, presented today. Bill’s relationship with AOP began in the mid-1990s, after more than a decade of stage-managing works from the standard opera repertoire. As Bill has reflected: AOP’s mission to develop new opera provided me with an opportunity to become involved in the process of realizing the work of living composers and librettists. AOP, which values each member of its family, makes it a pleasure to be in "The room where it happened." Bill has helped bring countless AOP productions and workshops to life, while serving on AOP’s Board of Directors since 2012 and sharing his experience with the next generation of artists through AOP’s programs. Congratulations, Bill—and thank you for the artistry, leadership, and commitment you continue to bring to AOP! #AOP #AmericanOperaProjects #StageManagement #NewOpera #DelHughesAward by @aopopera
Four AOP artists come together at the Metropolitan Opera for a historic world premiere! This week, LINCOLN IN THE BARDO (music @missymazzoli, libretto @rvavrek) made its world premiere at the @metopera, making Mazzoli the first woman composer in the Met’s history to have a world premiere on its stage. Based on George Saunders’s Booker Prize–winning novel, the opera follows Abraham Lincoln through the grief of losing his 11-year-old son, Willie, whose spirit remains caught in the bardo, between life and death. The production brings together four artists with ties to AOP: Mazzoli has served as both an Artistic Chair and mentor with AOP’s @composersandthevoice, training program for emerging composers and librettists. Vavrek, also an Artistic Chair and mentor with Composers & the Voice, collaborated with composer @gabrieljenksmusic (formerly known as Hannah Lash) on STONED PRINCE (2015), an AOP-developed chamber opera supported by the @neaarts and presented in NYC, Boston, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Conductor @srosgood, who leads the October 31 and November 14 performances, served as AOP’s Artistic Director from 2001–08 and along with @cjarden founded Composers & the Voice in 2002. Among his many projects with AOP, he conducted the 2014 premiere of AS ONE (music and concept Laura Kaminsky, libretto Mark Campbell and @_kimreed) at @bam_brooklyn. Countertenor @arcostanzo, who stars as Miss Elise Traynor, served on AOP’s Board of Directors and Artistic Advisory Council and as a singer in WOLF-IN-SKINS (music @gregoryhspears, dance and visual concept @faycavalier). LINCOLN IN THE BARDO returns to the Met tomorrow, October 24, with performances continuing through November 14. Congratulations to Missy, Royce, Steven, Anthony, and the entire LINCOLN IN THE BARDO team on this landmark world premiere! Photo 1: George Saunders, Missy Mazzoli, and Royce Vavrek at the world premiere of LINCOLN IN THE BARDO. Credit: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for The Metropolitan Opera. Photo 2: Steven Osgood and Laura Kaminsky at the AOP 25th anniversary gala, 2014. Credit: @richardtermine. Photo 3: Anthony Roth Costanzo in WOLF-IN-SKINS, 2017. Credit: @stevenpisano. by @aopopera
AOP family composer @weisera has a new work involving the Yiddish language headed to @carnegiehall! On Tuesday, October 27, the @amercomporch presents the U.S. premiere of TFILES, Weiser’s clarinet concerto, at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. Inspired by three Yiddish-language poems by Kadya Molodowsky, TFILES reimagines the clarinet concerto as a series of musical prayers and features clarinetist @andrzej.cieplinski.clarinet with conductor Kedrick Armstrong. Weiser’s history with AOP includes two operas written with librettist Ben Kaplan: STATE OF THE JEWS, developed through AOP’s @composersandthevoice and premiered by AOP at NYC’s @streickercenter in 2025, and THE GREAT DICTIONARY OF THE YIDDISH LANGUAGE, developed with AOP and premiered at @yivoinstitute in September 2025 as part of YIVO’s centennial celebration. More presentations of THE GREAT DICTIONARY are planned for the 2027–28 opera season. Tomorrow, October 22, Weiser and Ciepliński share the spotlight at YIVO for a conversation about TFILES and its journey from its world premiere at @polinmuseum in Warsaw to Carnegie Hall. The event is free with registration at the @centerforjewishhistory. Video: @gornsteinonline, @kmaron43, and @kellyguerramezzo in the world premiere of THE GREAT DICTIONARY OF THE YIDDISH LANGUAGE at YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, September 2025. Photo: @gideondabi, Kristin Gornstein, @andrewmorstein, @hansomelydone, and members of the @emanuel_nyc Choir in the world premiere of STATE OF THE JEWS at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Cultural Center, January 2025. Credit: @steven_pisano. #AOPOpera #AmericanOperaProjects #AOP #YIVO #CarnegieHall #NewMusic by @aopopera
AOP librettist Kelley Rourke (EAT THE DOCUMENT) returns to New York with a first look at a new opera! This Sunday, October 18, @worksandprocess at the @guggenheim presents excerpts from O’KEEFFE: KISS THE SKY (music @christophertinmusic, libretto Kelley Rourke), a new opera-ballet inspired by the life and work of Georgia O’Keeffe, ahead of its world premiere at @washnatopera in March 2027. Rourke’s history with AOP includes works created with composer @johnmakesnoise: EAT THE DOCUMENT, in part developed at AOP, premiered at @prototypefestival (for @grammys consideration!), and LUCY, developed by AOP and @nautilusmusictheater’s Rough Cuts, premiered at @milwaukeeoperatheatre. Congratulations to Kelley and the entire O’KEEFFE team as the work heads toward its world premiere! Photo 1: @kelley_rebecca at the AOP/@glimmerglassfestival reading of LUCY, August 2010. Credit: Katherine L. Ehle. Photo 2: @gelseybell, @christianmarkgibbs, @justinemakesfaces, @paulpintobeans, and @amyjustman performing excerpts from EAT THE DOCUMENT at AOP Mixtape, " No More!," @joespub, April 2022, with @myohmilahenry on piano. Credit: @steven_pisano. #AOPOpera #AmericanOperaProjects #AOP #NewOpera #Opera by @aopopera
Congratulations to AOP composer Nkeiru Okoye! The world-premiere recording of WHEN THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, Okoye’s large-scale work for orchestra, choir, and soloists, is being presented for the consideration of @grammys voters in Best Choral Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Okoye’s history with AOP includes HARRIET TUBMAN: WHEN I CROSSED THAT LINE TO FREEDOM, premiered by AOP at Brooklyn’s Irondale Center (@irondaleensemble) in 2014; BROOKLYN CINDERELLA (text by Brooklyn schoolchildren), co-commissioned by AOP and The Walt Whitman Project; TALES FROM THE BRIAR PATCH (libretto @skycarmuse), commissioned and developed with AOP and premiered at the @vaartsfest in 2022; and her work as a mentor with @composersandthevoice. Congratulations, Nkeiru, and best of luck this GRAMMY season! Photo 1: Composer @nkeiruokoyecomposer Photo 2: @lajaninahburnett, @briana_sings_things, @herknik, @c.chiningram, @damian._.naimad, @marshathompsonofficial, @ecjjr1980, @patricepeaton, @kyleguglielmo, and @amtenor in HARRIET TUBMAN: WHEN I CROSSED THAT LINE TO FREEDOM. Credit: @richardtermine Photo 3: @ramaxter, Damian Norfleet, @christinejobson, @sequinadubose, and @lashelle.allen in TALES FROM THE BRIAR PATCH. #AOP #AmericanOperaProjects #GRAMMYs #AOPOpera #NewMusic #NewOpera by @aopopera
AOP artists Jorell Williams and Mark Shapiro come together at Merkin Hall! On Tuesday, October 13, @marshallopera presents AN EVENING WITH ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK, celebrating the acclaimed composer’s 85th birthday with an evening of his vocal and operatic music. Baritone Jorell Williams joins the evening’s roster of soloists, with Mark Shapiro conducting. Williams’ history with AOP stretches back to the @composersandthevoice Resident Ensemble of Singers, where he served from 2011–14. He has since returned for numerous AOP projects, including INDEPENDENCE EVE, OPERAtion Brooklyn, the AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab, Music as the Message, Living Room Music, and the development of HOUSE OF LEGENDARY. Shapiro’s history with AOP includes conducting the 2008 world premiere of Alvin Singleton and Patricia Hampl’s BROOKLYN BONES and its 2010 AOP presentation at @carnegiehall’s Zankel Hall. In 2011, he served as music director for AOP’s presentation of scenes from @pete_wyer’s NUMINOUS CITY at the @rubinmuseum. The program features the world premiere of Hailstork’s OUR LAND, alongside NOBODY KNOW, SUMMER.LIFE.SONG., FOUR ROMANTIC LOVE SONGS, SING HER A SONG, and excerpts from his opera COMMON GROUND. Congratulations, Jorell and Mark! Photo 1: @jorellogram and @briana_sings_things as Hannah in AS ONE at Merkin Hall, 2019. Presented by @kaufmanmusiccenter in association with @nycopera and AOP. Photo 2: @spudicmichael, Patricia Hampl, Alvin Singleton, @markshapironyc, and Norman Ryan at the world premiere of BROOKLYN BONES. by @aopopera
Congratulations to composer @huang.ruo on an extraordinary week! @seattleopera has named Huang its first-ever Composer-in-Residence, a three-year appointment beginning with the 2027–28 season. The residency will include the Seattle premiere of M. BUTTERFLY with @thedavidhenryhwang and culminate in the world premiere of THE WEDDING BANQUET (librettist @james.schamus). The announcement came just one day before the New York premiere of THE RIFT at @carnegiehall’s Zankel Hall on October 2. Created with librettist David Henry Hwang, the chamber opera explores the story of Maya Lin and the creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Huang’s history with AOP includes the development of PARADISE INTERRUPTED (libretto by Ji Chao, @jenniferwenma, Huang Ruo, and Qian Yi) through a @neaarts award, for the 2015 @spoletofestivalusa premiere, and 2016 remount at @lincolncenter Festival. He has also served as an Artistic Chair for @composersandthevoice and served on AOP’s Artistic Advisory Council. Congratulations, Huang Ruo! 📸 Huang Ruo, Qian Yi, and Jennifer Wen Ma at the 2015 preview of PARADISE INTERRUPTED at the @metmuseum. #AmericanOperaProjects #AOP #NewOpera #SeattleOpera #CarnegieHall by @aopopera
An AOP family collaboration comes full circle! Last month, we celebrated AOP composer @zachredler and the world premiere of A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT at @opera_montana. As the opera heads to Missoula for its final performances this weekend, Zach’s longtime collaborator, AOP librettist and writer @_sara_cooper_, has news of her own: her new novel DEAD CENTER is coming April 2027, with preorders now open! Redler and Cooper joined AOP as fellows in the 2011–13 cycle of @composersandthevoice. Their collaborations with AOP included WINDOWS, THE MEMORY SHOW, and their opera adaptation of Lois Lowry’s THE GIVER. Cooper later returned to C&V as a panelist for the 2017–19 fellowship cycle. A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT plays October 3 and 4 in Missoula, while DEAD CENTER arrives in April 2027 with preorders available now. Congratulations to Sara and Zach! Photo: Sara Cooper and Zach Redler in OPERAtion Brooklyn. Credit: Meghan Hickey by @aopopera
Continuing AOP’s celebration of #America250, we’re highlighting AOP family member soprano @sarahmoultonfaux as she takes on one of Samuel Barber’s most beloved works, based on a James Agee poem about childhood and memory. Tomorrow, Friday, October 2, Sarah joins the @stringorchestraofbrooklyn for KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915, on a program highlighting different threads of the American story. Also on the program are Duke Ellington’s BLACK, BROWN AND BEIGE and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s final composition, SYMPHONIC DANCES, written on Long Island near the end of his life. Sarah’s work with AOP spans both the stage and behind the scenes; she currently serves on AOP’s Board of Directors and her most recent role was Anna in AOP’s 2026 world premiere of THE POST OFFICE (music Laura Kaminsky, words @elainesexton, design Charles Renfro @diller_scofidio_renfro), presented at @sprucepeakarts and @bam_brooklyn. Sarah’s many AOP collaborations include THE ABBOT AGATHON (Arvo Pärt), also with the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, and THE CLIMATE OPERA PROJECT, a production of the AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab. Congratulations to Sarah on this upcoming performance! Video: Sarah Moulton Faux in rehearsal for KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915 Photo: Sarah Moulton Faux in THE CLIMATE OPERA PROJECT (BAM Fisher, April 2024). Credit: @steven_pisano #AOP #AmericanOperaProjects #SamuelBarber #KnoxvilleSummerOf1915 #StringOrchestraOfBrooklyn #StAnns by @aopopera
AOP family composers @kitbraz and @missymazzoli bring new music to Greenwich Village! On Tuesday, September 29, @thevillagetripfestival presents WOMEN’S WORK, featuring music by Brazelton and Mazzoli alongside works by an array of composers and artists. The evening includes the world premiere of a new work by Brazelton, commissioned by the festival for two singers and piano with poetry by Marcella Remund. Brazelton’s history with AOP reaches back nearly three decades. She was one of the composer-performers behind HILDEGURLS: ELECTRIC ORDO VIRTUTUM, that premiered at the 1998 Lincoln Center Festival in co-production with AOP. Mazzoli has a history with AOP through @composersandthevoice, where she served as both Artistic Chair and mentor to emerging composers in the program. Next month, her newest opera, LINCOLN IN THE BARDO (libretto by @rvavrek), receives its world premiere at the @metopera on October 19, with performances through November 14. Congratulations to Kitty and Missy! WOMEN’S WORK takes place September 29 at 7 PM at St. John’s in the Village. #AOP #AmericanOperaProjects #KittyBrazelton #MissyMazzoli #WomensWork #TheVillageTrip #NewMusic #GreenwichVillage by @aopopera

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