Missy Mazzoli Essentials

In the world of opera, where new works are rarely performed on the biggest stages, Missy Mazzoli has not only become a regular presence in concert halls, but she was one of the first two women to earn a commission from New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, in 2018. Born in 1980 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, she earned a master’s degree from Yale University in 2006, and a year later she formed the electro-acoustic ensemble Victoire to perform her music. She served as composer-in-residence at Opera Philadelphia (2012-15) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2018-21), writing orchestral and chamber works in addition to her numerous operas. Mazzoli’s music moves easily between past and present, infusing classical foundations with the influence of 20th-century minimalism and ideas gleaned from electronic music and jazz.