Composer Missy Mazzoli
announces Spring-Summer 2025 Season

Highlights include the Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere of The Listeners (March 30 – April 11), conducted by Enrique Mazzola, and Breaking the Waves at Houston Grand Opera (April 19 – May 4), conducted by Patrick Summers

Mazzoli's upcoming opera, Lincoln in the Bardo, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for premiere in 2026, will be workshopped in partnership with the Chautauqua Opera Company and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra on July 11

International performances of Mazzoli's works include the Swedish premiere of Vespers for a New Dark Age featuring Kammarensemblen at Musikaliska Kvarteret (March 9), conducted by Christoffer Nobin, and Australian performance of Vespers for Amplified Viola and Soundtrack with the Hourglass Ensemble at the Sydney Opera House (May 27)

Various orchestral works will be performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and others

(New York, NY) - March 6, 2025— Acclaimed composer Missy Mazzoli unveils her Spring-Summer 2025 season, featuring a lineup of premieres and performances across opera, chamber, and orchestral music, spanning North America, Europe, and Australia.

Season Highlights

• Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere of The Listeners (March 30 – April 11), conducted by Enrique Mazzola

• Breaking the Waves at Houston Grand Opera (April 19 – May 4), conducted by Patrick Summers

• The Swedish premiere of Vespers for a New Dark Age featuring Kammarensemblen at Musikaliska Kvarteret (March 9), conducted by Christoffer Nobin

• Orchestral workshop of Lincoln in the Bardo, commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, in partnership with Chautauqua Opera Company and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra (July 11–25)

• Orchestral performances of Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres), Orpheus Undone, and These Worlds in Us across the US and Europe

• Australian performance of Vespers for Amplified Viola and Soundtrack with the Hourglass Ensemble at the Sydney Opera House (May 27)

Mazzoli’s opera The Listeners, described as “sly, poignant, darkly funny” by The New York Times, makes its German premiere at Theater und Philharmonie Essen (March 8 & 22) conducted by Andrea Sanguineti and Wolfram-Maria Märtig, before its highly anticipated Lyric Opera of Chicago premiere under Enrique Mazzola. The work, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek and story by Jordan Tannahill, follows a community unraveling under the influence of a mysterious low-frequency hum.

Breaking the Waves, based on Lars von Trier’s film, will have a production at Houston Grand Opera under the baton of Patrick Summers, with Sara Brodie directing the revival of Tom Morris’s acclaimed production. The opera delves into the tragic journey of Bess, a woman navigating faith, sacrifice, and desire in 1970s Scotland.

On March 9, Kammarensemblen will present the Swedish premiere of Vespers for a New Dark Age at Musikaliska Kvarteret, conducted by Christoffer Nobin. The eight-movement suite, with text by Matthew Zapruder, explores humanity’s relationship with technology, death, and the divine through a blend of chamber ensemble, electronics, and voice.

Mazzoli’s newest opera Lincoln in the Bardo, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek based on George Saunders' Booker Prize-winning novel, will be workshopped at Chautauqua Institution on  July 11. The opera is the first commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera for a female composer, and illuminates themes of loss, sacrifice, and humanity through the voices of a motley chorus of ghosts.

Mazzoli’s orchestral work Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) will be performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra (March 6) under Dalia Stasevska, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (April 2) under Roderick Cox, Anderson Symphony (March 15) under Ian Passmore, and others.

Her ethereal Orpheus Undone will be performed by The Philadelphia Orchestra (March 28) under Nathalie Stutzmann, the Albany Symphony (March 8) under Lidiya Yankovskaya, and the Brookline Symphony Orchestra (May 17) under Andrew Altenbach.

These Worlds in Us, dedicated to Mazzoli’s father, will be presented by the Philharmonia Orchestra (March 19–21) under Osmo Vänskä, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (March 14) under Daniela Candillari, the Basel Sinfonietta (March 30) under Kevin John Edusei, and as part of the Spoleto Festival USA (May 26).

On May 27, Mazzoli's Vespers for Amplified Viola and Soundtrack will be performed at the Sydney Opera House by the Hourglass Ensemble as part of the La Belle Époque program.

All performance details can be found below with additional dates to be announced at later date.

 

Performances

March 6
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska (conductor)
Elina Vähälä (violin)  

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)  
MOUSSA: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra “Adrano”
CORIGLIANO: The Red Violin, "Chaconne"
DVORÁK: Symphony No. 9, From the New World

March 8 & 22
Theater und Philharmonie Essen
Andrea Sanguineti (March 8) & Wolfram-Maria Märtig (March 22)  

MAZZOLI: The Listeners (German Premiere)

March 8
Albany Symphony
Lidiya Yankovskaya (guest conductor)
Amaryn Olmeda (Violin)

MAZZOLI: Orpheus Undone
BARBER: Violin Concerto
DVORÁK: Symphony No. 7

March 8
Horsham Symphony Orchestra
Steve Dummer (conductor)
Luca Imperiale (soloist)

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
SHORTHOUSE: Angels on the Beach at Night
ELGAR: Variations on an original theme (Enigma)

March 9
Musikaliska Kvarteret
Christoffer Nobin (conductor)
Kammarensemblen

MAZZOLI: Vespers for a New Dark Age (Swedish Premiere)
GÓRECKI: Good Night (Swedish Premiere)
CRUMB: Night Music II

March 13
Colorado University Boulder Chamber Orchestra
Renee Gilliland (conductor)
Andrea Segar (violin)
Sarah Cahill (bass)

MAZZOLI: Dark with Excessive Bright
PONCE: Memory of a Broken Wing
FARRENC:Symphony No. 3 in G minor

March 14 & 16
Tucson Symphony Orchestra
Daniela Candillari (conductor)
Gabriela Martinez (piano)

MAZZOLI:These Worlds In Us
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 2
PROKOFIEV: Selections from Romeo & Juliet

March 15
Anderson Symphony
Ian Passmore (conductor)
Spencer Myer (piano)

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
RAVEL: Concerto in G Major
DVORÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E Minor

March 15
Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Thomas Wilson (conductor)

Maximilian Hornung (cello)

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
SHOSTAKOVICH: Cello Concerto No. 1

DVORÁK: Symphony No. 6

March 19-21
The Philharmonia Orchestra
Osmo Vänskä (conductor)
Mao Fujita (piano)

MAZZOLI:These Worlds In Us
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 25
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 5 (Reformation)

March 28
Philadelphia Orchestra
Nathalie Stutzmann (conductor)

Edgar Moreau (cello)

MAZZOLI:Orpheus Undone
SCHUMANN: Cello Concerto

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5

March 30 - April 11
The Lyric Opera of Chicago
Enrique Mazzola (conductor)

MAZZOLI:The Listeners (Chicago Premiere)

March 30
Basel Sinfonietta
Kevin John Edusei (conductor)
Alex Paxton (trombone)

MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us
PAXTON: Od Ody Pink’d
EASTMAN: Stay on It 
MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
COX: Schattenspiel (Shadow Play)

SKYE: Prisms, Cycles, Leaps

April 2
Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
Roderick Cox (conductor)

RIAS Kammerchor (choir)

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
BERIO: Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra

STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du printemps

April 2
Junge Deutsche Philharmonie
Roderick Cox (conductor)

RIAS Kammerchor (choir)

MAZZOLI: Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
BERIO: Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra

STRAVINSKY: Le Sacre du printemps

April 19 - May 4
Houston Grand Opera
Patrick Summers (conductor)

MAZZOLI: Breaking the Waves

April 27
Sydney Opera House
Hourglass Ensemble

MAZZOLI: Vespers for Amplified Viola and Soundtrack
DEBUSSY: Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp
COEHLO: Hokusai Mix Tape
SAINT-SAËNS: Fantasie for Flute and Harp

POENITZ: Capriccio for Clarinet and Harp

BALL: New work for Bass Clarinet, Viola, and Electronics

May 17
Brookline Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Altenbach (conductor)

MAZZOLI: Orpheus Undone
PROKOFIEV: Lieutenant Kijé
FIBICH: Symphony No. 2

May 26
Spoleto Festival
Timothy Myers (conductor)

MAZZOLI: These Worlds in Us
PÄRT: Fratres
MOZART: Symphony No. 29 in A Major

July 11
Chautauqua Festival, Chautauqua Institution
Steven Osgood (conductor)
Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra

Chautauqua Opera Conservatory

MAZZOLI: Lincoln in the Bardo (Workshop)

 

About Missy Mazzoli

The music of Brooklyn-based composer Missy Mazzoli has been performed by the Berlin Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, LA Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Scottish Opera, Opéra Comique, LA Opera, the Kronos Quartet, eighth blackbird and many others. She was recently described as “one of the more inventive and surprising composers now working in New York” (New York Times), and “a once-in-a-

generation magician of the orchestra” (The New Yorker), has been nominated for three Grammy® Awards, most recently for her orchestral album Dark with Excessive Bright, and has served as Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony and Opera Philadelphia. In 2018 she became, along with Jeanine Tesori, one of the first two women to receive a commission from the Metropolitan Opera. In 2016 Mazzoli and composer Ellen Reid founded Luna Composition Lab, a nonprofit mentorship program for young female and nonbinary composers. Mazzoli teaches composition at Bard College and her works are published by G. Schirmer.

missymazzoli.com