Cincinnati Opera and CCM to Workshop "Lincoln in the Bardo," a new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek, through Opera Fusion: New Works Partnership

Based on George Saunders’s award-winning novel, the work has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera.

The Opera Fusion: New Works workshop of Lincoln in the Bardo culminates in a free, public presentation of excerpts on Sunday, November 12.


CINCINNATI (October 19, 2023)—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) have announced the next workshop in their groundbreaking joint program, Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW).

In collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera, the Cincinnati partners will host a workshop in November 2023 for the new opera Lincoln in the Bardo, with music by Missy Mazzoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek, based on the celebrated novel by George Saunders. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera and a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Opera, Lincoln in the Bardo is slated to receive its world premiere in 2026.

The OF:NW workshop for Lincoln in the Bardo will culminate in a public performance of excerpts on Sunday, November 12 at 2 p.m. (ET) at Cincinnati Opera’s Corbett Opera Center. Admission to the performance and post-performance conversation is free, though seating is limited and reservations are required. Tickets become available on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 12 p.m. (ET) and can be reserved at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling 513-241-2742.

Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by the Mellon Foundation.


Media Contact:
Katie Syroney
Director of Communications
ksyroney@cincinnatiopera.org / 513-768-5526