Decorated American composer Missy Mazzoli is one of the first two women to receive a commission from the Metropolitan Opera. Mazzoli spoke with Opera America Magazine from backstage at the Opéra Comique in Paris, just two weeks before the French premiere of her opera Breaking the Waves, originally a co-commission from Opera Philadelphia and Beth Morrison Projects. Her proj­ect with the Met, Lincoln in the Bardo, will open there in the fall of 2026.