How punk rock and MTV inspired opera writer Missy Mazzoli

On a recent Sunday night in Brooklyn, at a concert by the punk rock band Mannequin Pussy, we discovered a new face that might be unlike the unlikely world of opera: the 45-year-old classical composer Missy Mazzoli.

When asked what she likes about punk music, Mazzoli replied, “I like that it’s extreme, that it wears its thoughts and emotions and politics on its sleeve, and that it’s just this raw expression of human emotion.

Which sounds a lot like opera!

Mazzoli is taking one of the biggest stages in the world, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, to present her latest work, “Lincoln in the Bardo.” Along with him, she is the first woman to premiere an opera with the Met in its 143-year history.

Mazzoli’s parents bought a piano at a flea market when she was seven. A few years later, she was writing her own music. But it wasn’t just a classic; she also played in punk bands – and inspiration came from everywhere. “MTV was there for me, when no one else was,” she laughed. “And I would watch MTV for hours and hours every day. And so, I can look back on that and say, ‘Oh, my interest in opera makes a lot of sense, because I was watching Guns N’ Roses or Sonic Youth, those videos that let you enter a whole different world.'”

“Lincon in the Bardo” is based on the novel by George Saunders, and tells the story of President Lincoln at a very important time. “His 11-year-old son, Willie, died very unexpectedly,” Mazzoli said, “and Lincoln was just consumed with grief, and he would actually go to the cemetery and visit with his son’s body in the days and weeks after his death.”

I have no power here.
And now I have to accept it.
My boy is gone!
My boy is gone!
Peaceful, elegant, in a new form of being.
William is dead.
Goodbye, little friend.
– From “Lincoln in the Bardo”

Mazzoli says that the opera asks big questions that speak to our time as well. “This is a story that takes place at the height of the Civil War when America is at its most divided,” she said. “And the idea of ​​doing a set of work in a very divided America felt very relevant.”

To prepare, Mazzoli spent time in his own cemeteries. “For me, opera is the way to explore things that are difficult to talk about,” she said. “Think about life and death. We can sing songs about it. But I think we can find out what the questions are. So, when someone is singing their heart out about love or betrayal or sadness, I think words don’t do justice to those feelings, but singing and music really can.”

True to form, “Lincoln in the Bardo” is a grand production, with elaborate costumes, puppets, special effects, and even a giant horse that appears briefly at the end of the show.

Royce Vavrek has written the lyrics for Mazzoli’s music in six operas. “We really bond over our love of storytelling and theater,” he said, “so I’m over the word drama and she’s over the musical drama, and together I think we’re just tapping into something much greater than the sum of our two parts.”

Just this summer, they premiered another new work, “The Galloping Cure,” which looks at the opioid epidemic. It is a personal matter for both. “I have two cousins ​​who died,” Mazzoli said, “one of an OxyContin overdose, and one of a heroin overdose after being addicted through Oxycontin. And Royce’s father died and succumbed to his addiction.”

With two operatic majors, and an upcoming piano concerto commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Missy Mazzoli is having a moment. “I joke with my partner, everything in my life happens in these three weeks,” she said. “But I’m just trying to ride the wave and enjoy it.”

Mazzoli says that as a young writer, there were unequal expectations in the industry: “With male creators, they’re looking for potential. They’re like, ‘Oh, he has a lot of potential to do this.’ But when it comes to hiring a woman, they’re like, ‘Oh, but she hasn’t written an opera yet.’ And it’s like, But she has the potential.“

So, ten years ago, Mazzoli co-founded a non-profit organization called Luna Lab, to support and provide performance opportunities for teenage writers. “I want to encourage future generations to pursue music as a career and continue to express themselves in this medium,” she said.

While Monday’s premiere marked Mazzoli’s debut at the Met, it is also a return of sorts. She first came to the Met when she was 18. The only seat she could afford was in the last row of the top section: “And it was this seat, right here, and I sat here, and it changed my life!”

Story produced by Wonbo Woo. Editor: Jessica Falk.

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