Wednesday, September 30, 6–7 p.m., at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library: Saunders joins composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek in conversation with Alison Stewart about turning Lincoln in the Bardo into an opera, followed by a special Met performance. Free in-person and livestream tickets were selectable this morning. Event and registration
The attraction is specific: an inventive writer, a formally difficult adaptation, actual music and a one-hour commitment. The intriguing problem is how to turn a novel’s crowd of competing ghost-voices into sung drama without losing its absurdity. The subject includes a child’s death, so expect emotional weight, not merely literary repartee.
Register, then aim for the 5:30 p.m. doors. NYPL overbooks free events; registration gives priority, not guaranteed admission. This is a newly found opportunity, not a claim that tickets first went on sale today.