TESORI Grounded / Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Emily D'Angelo | Deutsche Grammophon

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra together with mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo release their new album, on which they perform composer Jeanine Tesori’s opera Grounded.  

The opera is a multi-character adaptation of George Brant’s eponymous play, which premiered in 2012. It tells the story of former fighter pilot Jess, sung by D’Angelo, reassigned to operate military drones due to her unplanned pregnancy. The work raises urgent questions about technology, morality, and identity in modern warfare. Conducted by the Met’s Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the cast further features tenor Ben Bliss, soprano Kirsten MacKinnon, baritone Kyle Miller and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley. With Tesori’s gripping score and a powerhouse performance from D’Angelo, this release marks a bold, contemporary milestone in American opera.