Missy Mazzoli’s ‘The Listeners’ to get US premiere at Opera Philadelphia on Sept. 25

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Missy Mazzoli’s “The Listeners” will be given its delayed U.S. premiere on Sept. 25 to open the season of the Opera Philadelphia, which abandoned the world premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s “Woman with Eyes Closed” because of budget. “The Listeners,” with a libretto by Royce Vavrek and based on Jordan Tannahill’s story, is about charismatic leaders, cult-like rituals and an environmental hum only a few people can hear. It premiered at the Norwegian Opera on Sept. 24, 2022, and returns soprano Nicole Heaston from the original production. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs and music director Corrado Rovaris conducts.