Talks & Events Archive: Grounded

September 8 | 1–2:30PM
Second Sundays
Pioneer Works, Brooklyn

Join composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist George Brant in conversation around the ethics of drone warfare, the gamification of remote piloting, and the psychological toll of 21st-century warfare, as depicted in their opera, Grounded. Mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo portrays Jess, a hot-shot fighter pilot whose unplanned pregnancy takes her out of the cockpit and lands her in Las Vegas, where she operates a Reaper drone halfway around the world. The opera explores the mental health challenges that follow combat experience and the morality of death rained down by remote control. D'Angelo and Tesori will perform excerpts from the opera, and Tesori and Brant will discuss how Brant's 2014 play became a Met-commissioned opera. Free; registration is required

September 9 | 7PM
Works & Process
The Guggenheim Museum, Peter B. Lewis Theater 

See highlights from two-time Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori’s newest opera Grounded, with a libretto by George Brant, author of the original play. Wrestling with the ethical quandaries and psychological toll of 21st-century warfare, this Met commission focuses on Jess, a hot-shot fighter pilot whose unplanned pregnancy takes her out of the cockpit and lands her in Las Vegas, operating a Reaper drone halfway around the world. As she struggles to adjust to this new way of doing battle, she fights to maintain her sanity, and her soul, as she is called to rain down death by remote control. Met General Manager Peter Gelb moderates a discussion with Met’s Music Director and Grounded Conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Director Michael Mayer, Tesori, and Brant. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, and Kirsten MacKinnon perform selections from the opera.

September 13 | 6:30PM Doors, 7PM Event
A History and Innovation Series: Women in the Military
Intrepid Museum, Lutnick Theater

This month, the Intrepid Museum and the Metropolitan Opera have teamed up for a behind-the-scenes program featuring its newest opera, Grounded. A special performance begins the evening, followed by a panel discussion featuring decorated female officers and artists reflecting on how work affects their domestic life, the roles of service to one’s country and one’s home, and the challenges of volleying identities between service and domestic life. 

September 16 | 7PM Doors, 7:30PM Event
Grace Under Fire: Moth stories inspired by the Met’s Grounded
Mercedes T. Bass Grand Tier

The Moth Mainstage is coming to the Metropolitan Opera. Join us on September 16 to experience a night of vibrant true stories in this quintessential Moth experience at one of the world’s most iconic arts institutions. Four storytellers will share tales connected to Jeanine Tesori’s new opera Grounded, followed by a special sneak-peek performance by mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo. 

September 20 | 6:30PM Doors, 7PM Event
Taking Flight: Adapting Grounded for the Met Stage
The Public Theater 

The Metropolitan Opera opens its 2024–25 season with Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori’s new opera, Grounded, based on librettist George Brant’s harrowing one-woman play, which thrilled audiences when it appeared at the Public Theater a decade ago. Centering on a female fighter pilot turned drone operator, the work explores the psychological costs of modern warfare and the challenges of balancing service, family, and a sense of self. Join the Met at the Public on September 20 for an evening of performance from both the play and the opera, as well as a conversation between Tesori and Brant about adapting Grounded for the operatic stage, moderated by Oskar Eustis.