Lincoln in the Bardo

Death of Classical and The Green-Wood Cemetery are once again proud to partner with the Metropolitan Opera for an immersive cemetery preview of Lincoln in the Bardo, the major new opera based on the beloved Booker Prize-winning novel by George Saunders. With music by composer (and certified Death Doula) Missy Mazzoli and libretto by Royce Vavrek, the work will receive its world premiere at the Met on October 19, 2026. Set over the course of a single night in a Georgetown cemetery during the Civil War, Lincoln in the Bardo imagines President Abraham Lincoln returning to the grave of his beloved eleven-year-old son, Willie, whose death has shattered him. Trapped between this life and the next in a realm called the bardo, a chorus of restless spirits watches as Lincoln confronts an impossible grief while carrying the weight of a nation at war. Tender, funny, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming, the story explores what it means to let go, to love, and to carry on after unimaginable loss. On September 25th, audiences will journey deep into the heart of Green-Wood along a historic path adorned with music, dance, spoken word, and theatrical encounters inspired by the novel’s haunting world of spirits. As night falls, an intimate performance featuring stars of the Metropolitan Opera production will begin, followed by a conversation with Mazzoli and Vavrek moderated by music journalist Amanda Petrusich about bringing Saunders’s masterpiece to the operatic stage. The October 15 preview event will feature stars from the Metropolitan Opera production performing selections from the score, and a conversation with the creators about bringing Saunders’s masterpiece to the operatic stage. Ticket options include General Admission seating in chairs and on the grass (with tastings of spirits and non-alcoholic offerings, along with light snacks) and Premium Seating at reserved tables (which also includes a bottle of wine).