Jeanine Tesori - Grounded (Yannick Nézet-Séguin)

Information

Composer: Jeanine Tesori

• Grounded

Emily D'Angelo

Ben Bliss

Ellie Dehn

Kyle Miller

Greer Grimsley

Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

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Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, with mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo, present the album of Jeanine Tesori’s opera Grounded, based on George Brant’s 2012 play. The opera tells the story of Jess, a former fighter pilot reassigned to drone operations after an unexpected pregnancy, exploring themes of technology, morality, and identity in modern warfare. D’Angelo leads a strong cast including Ben Bliss, Kirsten MacKinnon, Kyle Miller, and Greer Grimsley. With Tesori’s compelling score and powerful performances, this recording represents a strikingly contemporary milestone for American opera and a significant artistic statement from the Met.

Jeanine Tesori (b. 1961), an American composer, arranger, pianist, and conductor, is one of Broadway’s most acclaimed musical theatre voices. Early in her career known as Jeanine Levenson, she earned three Tony Award® nominations for Twelfth Night (1998), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002), and Caroline, or Change (2004). Her first musical, Violet (1997), won the Drama Critics’ Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, and an Obie citation, alongside seven Drama Desk nominations. Tesori has also written extensively for film, contributing songs to Disney’s Mulan II, Lilo & Stitch II, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, and scores for Show Business and Nights in Rodanthe.