Unfinished Poetry

Born in 1990, Matthew Aucoin studied poetry at Harvard before training in composition at Juilliard. While working as an assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, he received a surprise commission to compose a new work for the company. Eurydice (2020), Aucoin's adaptation of Sarah Ruhl's play from 2003, received its Met Opera debut this past November, following its first production at LA Opera (with Aucoin conducting). December saw the publication of his book The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera, which situates his work within the long history of Orphic music-theatre and alongside pieces by living composers he admires, including Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle, and Chaya Czernowin. Before turning to Eurydice, Aucoin adapted a series of works by Walt Whitman, culminating in his two-act opera Crossing, which premiered at the American Repertory Theater in 2015. Two years later, Aucoin co-founded American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) with director and...