Five Things to Know about Missy Mazzoli, Composer of Breaking the Waves
American composer Missy Mazzoli has been described by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross as an artist of “apocalyptic imagination.” In 2018, along with Jeanine Tesori, she became one of the first two women to be commissioned by the Met. Her operas have emerged as instant contemporary classics, but her output also spans orchestral, choral, and chamber works—as well as compositions for her indie-classical band, Victoire. Get to know Mazzoli and her music ahead of HGO’s production of her acclaimed 2016 opera Breaking the Waves, which plays April 19 through May 4.
Mazzoli’s music is rooted in the repetition-driven style of minimalism and its offshoot, post-minimalism. “That is part of the picture,” she admits, “but if you only hear that, you’re not understanding the whole picture of the music. There are 20 other elements that are just as present in my work!”
For instance, Mazzoli finds inspiration in medieval, Renaissance, and baroque repertoire. She’s also explored non-Western traditions: her viola piece Tooth and Nail (2010) is based on the Uzbeki jaw-harp, and her percussion piece Volume (2006) is scored for the kinds of recycled objects played by Trinidadian drummers. Finally, Mazzoli draws on indie and noise rock, often incorporating electric guitar into her scores—including Breaking the Waves.
To get acquainted with Mazzoli’s music, take a listen to her Grammy-nominated orchestral album Dark with Excessive Bright (2023).
Mazzoli’s all-woman outfit Victoire, founded by the composer in 2008, describes its sound as “dreamy, classical-inflected chamber-pop with touches of glitchy electronics and romantic orchestral mayhem.” The Brooklyn-based group—consisting of clarinet, violin, double-bass bass, and keyboards—has recorded two albums of Mazzoli’s music. Their disc Vespers for a New Dark Age (2015) features Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche.
Mazzoli met Canadian playwright Royce Vavrek in 2009, and the two became fast friends and close collaborators. Aside from Breaking the Waves, the duo had a recent success with The Listeners (2021), a sci-fi opera about a cult whose members can hear a mysterious hum that the rest of the world is deaf to. Mazzoli and Vavrek’s Lincoln in the Bardo, adapted from the novel by George Saunders, will premiere at the Met in 2026. Two of the team’s operas are available on CD: Song from the Uproar (2012) and Proving Up (2016). HGO will produce the first recording of Breaking the Waves.
On the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the Jungle, about the classical industry in New York City, Malcolm McDowell plays a fictional conductor and composer named Thomas Pembridge. The character’s pieces are composed by Mazzoli, including the Impromptu from season three—recorded by superstar violinist Joshua Bell.
Mazzoli is co-founder and artistic director of Luna Composition Lab, a program that “provides mentorship, education, and resources for young female, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming composers ages 13-18.” Fellows are mentored by major composers and have opportunities to workshop, premiere, or record their works.
