Grounded

Grounded is an English-language opera with music by Jeanine Tesori and libretto by George Brant. The libretto is adapted from Brant's play of the same name. Background The play Grounded premiered in New York in 2014. Paul Cremo of the Metropolitan Opera attended the performance, and shortly afterwards, emailed Brant, saying "he heard an aria pushing through it" and thought it could be produced as an opera. Brant was asked to adapt his play into the libretto for the opera, though he had not worked on an opera before. Tesori's previous operas include her 2019 work Blue. Outside of operas, she is an experienced composer of musicals, with her work including Shrek the Musical. Roles Synopsis The opera features the story of an American F-16 pilot who is grounded due to pregnancy. During her grounding, she controls drones, attacking distant targets. As a result of the drone warfare, her mental health suffers.