Death of Classical and Trinity Church NYC are proud to partner with the Metropolitan Opera for a special 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. 

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 a Premium ticket with seats in the first eight rows of the church, as well as a pre-show reception and tour of Trinity Church NYC’s historic cemetery. Additional options include general admission seating in the middle and side/partial view sections of the church.