Celebrating 20 Years of American Lyric Theater
Thursday | October 23 2025 | 7 pm
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, American Lyric Theater is proud to announce a gala performance on October 23, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Merkin Hall. The evening will feature scenes from a wide range of operas by alumni of ALT’s Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP), including works developed and commissioned by ALT as well as operas that were commissioned and premiered at other leading companies across the country. A highlight of the evening will be a very special preview of Lincoln in the Bardo—the first opera by a CLDP alum to be commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera. Composed by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek (CLDP 2007/08), the work is scheduled to receive its world premiere in the fall of 2026.
Hosted by ALT’s founder, Lawrence Edelson, the program will feature many of the artists who have contributed to the development of new operas at ALT, including sopranos Jacqueline Echols, Karen Vuong, Caroline Worra, and Jennifer Zetlan; mezzo-sopranos Heather Johnson and Gina Perregrino; tenor Andrew Bidlack; baritones and Jonathan Michie and Ethan Vincent; bass-baritone Justin Hopkins; and pianists Djordje Nesic, Jason Wirth and ALT’s Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo.
The evening will also honor Susan Feder, whose 15-year tenure as Program Officer in the Arts and Culture Program at the Mellon Foundation was transformative for the American opera field. Feder’s visionary leadership and support of ALT helped to catalyze the company’s growth and amplify its national impact.
Reserved tickets are available through the Merkin Hall box office.
For gala tickets, including the post-concert reception, please visit www.altnyc.org/gala20
JASMINE ARIELLE BARNES* / DEBORAH D.E.E.P. MOUTON* – She Who Dared
JEREMY HOWARD BECK* / STEPHANIE FLEISCHMANN* – The Long Walk
JUSTINE F. CHEN* / DAVID SIMPATICO* – The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing
JORGE SOSA* / CERISE LIM JACOBS – I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams
DAVID T. LITTLE / ROYCE VAVREK* – JFK
EVAN MEIER* / E.M. LEWIS* – Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant
DERRICK WANG* – Scalia/Ginsburg
CHRISTOPHER CERRONE* / Tony Asaro* – All Wounds Bleed
CLARICE ASSAD* / LILA PALMER* – The Selfish Giant
RICKY IAN GORDON / ROYCE VAVREK* – The House Without a Christmas Tree
PATRICK SOLURI* / DEBORAH BREVOORT* – Embedded
ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV* / DEBORAH BREVOORT* – The Knock
THEO POPOV* / TONY ASARO* – The Halloween Tree
JOHANNY NAVARRO* / MARCUS YI* – Working for the Macbeths
ALEX WEISER* / STEPHANIE FLEISCHMANN* – Tevye’s Daughters
MISSY MAZZOLI / ROYCE VAVREK* – Lincoln in the Bardo
*indicates alumni of the Composer Librettist Development Program at ALT
