“Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without having first seen Scalia/Ginsburg?” 
Los Angeles Times


We are different. We are one.

Scalia/Ginsburg

an opera by Derrick Wang

inspired by the opinions of U.S. Supreme Court Justices
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia

and by the “operatic precedent” of
Händel, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Offenbach, Bizet, Sullivan, Puccini, Strauss, et al.


Video: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explains Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg. (Source: Bloomberg / The David Rubenstein Show.)

Video: Curtain call at the 2019 OperaDelaware production of Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg. Scalia/Ginsburg set a box-office record as the highest-grossing performance in the company’s 74-year history.


SUMMARY

Scalia/Ginsburg is the American opera by composer-librettist Derrick Wang that ushered in the era of Supreme Court-themed art.

A comedy about friendship in a divided world, inspired by the words of U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia, Scalia/Ginsburg was first heard at the Supreme Court of the United States before its world premiere production at renowned conductor Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival. Revised after the passing of Justice Scalia, Scalia/Ginsburg received a sold-out production in 2017 at The Glimmerglass Festival. In 2019, OperaDelaware’s mainstage opening of Scalia/Ginsburg became the highest-grossing performance in the company’s 74-year history.

Justices Ginsburg and Scalia themselves wrote forewords to Derrick Wang’s libretto, an early version of which was published in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts and excerpted in Justice Ginsburg’s 2016 book My Own Words

Kicking off 2020 with a sold-out run at Opera Naples, Scalia/Ginsburg will be performed across the United States throughout this election year. (See the “Tickets” section for dates and links to listings; see “Productions” for further information.)


REVIEWS

“A perfect…jewel” (Opera Today)

“Brilliant…gorgeous” (DC Theatre Scene

“Funny, exceedingly clever” (Above the Law

“Tuneful…accessible…smart…a triumph” (The American Interest)

“A buoyant piece with a deeply serious core” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“Laser-accuratetop-notch” (Classical Voice North America

“Engaging…plays cleverly [with] musical wit” (Wall Street Journal)

“Sassy” (Naples Daily News)

“A fiercely entertaining crash course on the U.S. Constitution and the people who uphold it.…Who knew that an opera audience could holler and cheer like it was the Super Bowl?” (Broad Street Review)

“Could we please make it a constitutional requirement that no one can be sworn into office in the White House or Congress without having first seen Scalia/Ginsburg?” (Los Angeles Times)

“We are different. We are one”: the 2019 OperaDelaware production of  Scalia/Ginsburg . L to R: Jennifer Zetlan (Justice Ginsburg), Brian Cheney (Justice Scalia), Ben Wager (The Commentator). Photo: Justin Heyes, Moonloop Photography.

“We are different. We are one”: the 2019 OperaDelaware production of Scalia/Ginsburg. L to R: Jennifer Zetlan (Justice Ginsburg), Brian Cheney (Justice Scalia), Ben Wager (The Commentator). Photo: Justin Heyes, Moonloop Photography.

Illustration by David Parkins

Illustration by David Parkins


Click/tap any of the headings below (denoted by the symbol) for more details.

ABOUT

+ Information for Producers & Presenters

Scalia/Ginsburg is a one-hour English-language comic opera suitable for both mainstage and intimate venues, with a cast of three singers, flexible scenic demands, and accompaniment by either chamber orchestra or 7-player small ensemble.

Written on a contemporary American topic, composed in a highly accessible musical language, and featuring numerous references to famous operas, Scalia/Ginsburg is intended to delight first-time and long-time opera- and theatergoers alike.

For a full program of comedic English-language opera about the law, consider beginning the evening with Gilbert & Sullivan’s half-hour comedy Trial by Jury, which features not only compatible instrumentation but also opportunities for young artists (who can star in Trial by Jury, understudy/cover the principal roles in Scalia/Ginsburg, and/or optionally appear as supernumeraries in Scalia/Ginsburg).

“It’s close to divine inspiration to pair a Gilbert & Sullivan farce on the justice system with Scalia/Ginsburg, the sassy work on the Supreme Court’s unlikeliest friendship.” —Naples Daily News

SPECIFICATIONS
GenreComedy
ActsOne act
LanguageEnglish
Durationca. 60 min.
Cast3 principals; no chorus

  • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, soprano or high mezzo-soprano
    • Soprano: (opt. G#3–) B3–C#6 (opt. D6, E6)
    • Mezzo-soprano: G#3–B5
  • Justice Antonin Scalia, tenor
    • (opt. Bb2–) C3–Bb4 (opt. C5)
  • The Commentator, bass-baritone
    • (opt. D2–) Gb2–Eb4

Orchestra:

  • World Premiere version (Castleton Festival, 2015) (50 players)
    • [2(pic).2(ca).2(bcl).2(cbn) / 2.2.3.0 / timp.2perc.pf(kbd).hp. / str. (10.8.6.4.2)]
  • Chamber Orchestra version (OperaDelaware, 2019) (min. 23 players)
    • 1(pic).1.2(bcl).1 / 2.2.2.0 / timp(perc).pf(kbd) / str. (min. 3.2.2.2.1)
    • Compare with Trial by Jury (original scoring): 1(pic).1.2.1 / 2.2.2.0 / timp(perc) / str.
  • Septet version (Opera North, 2018) (min. 7 players)
    • 0.0.0.0 / 0.0.0.0 / timp(perc).pf(kbd) / str. (min. 1.1.1.1.1)
    • Same instrumentation as Trial by Jury (orchestration by Derrick Wang)

To inquire about a license to produce Scalia/Ginsburg, visit the Contact page and complete the form “I want to produce ‘Scalia/Ginsburg’”.


+ The Plot (in pictures)

What happens when Supreme Court Justices go before a Higher Power? In this operatic comedy, Justices Ginsburg and Scalia must pass through three cosmic trials to secure their freedom. The catch: they may have to agree on the Constitution. Derrick Wang’s Scalia/Ginsburg is a valentine to law and opera, where the law’s leading players go toe-to-toe and trill-to-trill in a (gentle) parody of operatic proportions. Opinions will be offered. Dissents will be delivered. And justice will be sung.

OperaDelaware (2019)


+ The Script (i.e. Libretto)

Justices Ginsburg and Scalia wrote prefaces to Derrick Wang’s libretto [script], an early version of which was published in 2015 by the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts. Excerpts from the libretto are republished in Justice Ginsburg’s 2016 book My Own Words as the chapter “The Scalia/Ginsburg Opera,” the audiobook version of which is narrated and performed by Derrick Wang from New York’s Steinway Hall.

After the passing of Justice Scalia, the libretto was revised for the 2017 production of Scalia/Ginsburg at The Glimmerglass Festival. The revised edition of the libretto will be published in 2020 in honor of the opera’s five-year anniversary.

The Glimmerglass Festival (2017)


+ The Score / Musical Numbers

A buddy comedy with an operatic twist, Scalia/Ginsburg reflects the witty style of its subjects by applying “operatic precedent.” Like a Supreme Court opinion, the score of Scalia/Ginsburg is a mosaic of allusions to influential statements of the past.

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

  • “The Justices are blind!” (Scalia)
    • Originalist rage aria, in the style of Händel.
  • “Dissent!” (Commentator)
    • Patter aria, in the style of Rossini and Gilbert & Sullivan.
  • “Oh, Nino” (Ginsburg, Scalia)
    • Bel canto cavatina, in the style of Bellini.
  • “Always ‘liberal’” (Scalia, Ginsburg)
    • Competing insertion arias from Verdi and Mozart, in the spirit of Offenbach.
  • “You are searching in vain (for a bright-line solution)” (Ginsburg)
    • Aria and variations in evolving styles, including opera, jazz, and gospel-pop.
  • “He built stairs” (Scalia)
    • Lyric aria, in the style of Puccini (but American).
  • “You, sir, are wrong here” (Ginsburg)
    • Sinfonia concertante da camera, in the style of Mozart & the Mendelssohns.
  • “Withdrawn!” (Commentator)
  • “We are different, we are one” (Ginsburg, Scalia)
  • Finale (Commentator, Ginsburg, Scalia)
    • Trilingual trio, featuring Puccini & R. Strauss.


HISTORY

+ The Supreme Court of the United States

On June 27, 2013, the day after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, composer-librettist Derrick Wang appeared at the Supreme Court to present selections from his new opera, Scalia/Ginsburg.

For more information, listen to Nina Totenberg’s coverage of the Supreme Court presentation — and see Derrick Wang’s TEDxBroadway talk on his journey with Scalia/Ginsburg from the Supreme Court to the stage.


+ The World Premiere

In July 2015, the world premiere production of Scalia/Ginsburg took place at the Castleton Festival, founded by renowned conductor Lorin Maazel in Castleton, Virginia.

(MSNBC reports that Justice Ginsburg attended and said, “I had a wonderful time. I loved every minute of it.”)

Get the inside scoop on Derrick Wang's new opera Scalia/Ginsburg from Justice Ginsburg herself! #OperaConf

Posted by OPERA America on Wednesday, May 13, 2015

+ The 2017 Version

In August 2017, Scalia/Ginsburg received its sold-out second production in a revised version at The Glimmerglass Festival, one of the largest summer opera festivals in the United States. Acclaimed tenor William Burden, celebrated for originating lead roles in major American operas, sang the role of Scalia. The final performance was followed by a discussion with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.


+ Press

Scalia/Ginsburg has been featured extensively in worldwide media, including:

  • the original NPR exclusive at the Supreme Court by Nina Totenberg,
  • a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal,
  • a three-page illustrated feature in the Süddeutsche Zeitung [Germany’s largest national subscription daily newspaper],

and articles and interviews in outlets including:

Scalia/Ginsburg has also been a featured topic on the ABC TV program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.


PRODUCTIONS

UPCOMING

+ Opera Carolina (2020)

March 7, 10 | 2020 | Tickets
Sandra Levine Theatre
Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement
Queens University of Charlotte
2319 Wellesley Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28207

+ Opera Grand Rapids (2020)

March 14, 15m | 2020 | Tickets
Betty Van Andel Opera Center
1320 East Fulton, Grand Rapids, MI 49503

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Jennifer Zetlan
  • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
  • The Commentator — Michael Colman

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Emily Jarrell Urbanek
  • Director — Cara Consilvio
  • Lighting & Projection Designer — Michael Baumgarten

+ Opera Las Vegas (2020)

March 19, 20, 21m, 22m | 2020 | Tickets
UNLV Law School Moot Court
4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV 89154

+ Virginia Opera (2020)

April 4 | 2020 | Tickets
Harrison Opera House
160 W. Virginia Beach Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23510

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Alyssa Martin
  • Justice Scalia — Benjamin Werley
  • The Commentator — Andrew Simpson

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Adam Turner
  • Director — Haley Stamats

+ Toledo Opera (2020)

Double-bill with Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (orchestration by Derrick Wang)
April 17, 18, 19m | 2020 | Tickets
Valentine Theatre
410 Adams St, Toledo, OH 43604

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Jennifer Zetlan
  • Justice Scalia — Brian Cheney
  • The Commentator — Michael Colman

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Kevin J. Bylsma
  • Director — James M. Norman

+ Solo Opera (2020)

August 14, 16m | 2020 | Tickets
Lesher Center for the Arts
1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Nikki Einfeld
  • Justice Scalia — Christopher Bengochea
  • The Commentator — Kirk Eichelberger

PREVIOUS

+ Opera Naples (2020)

Double-bill with Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (orchestration by Derrick Wang)
January 24, 25 | 2020
Hushon Theatre at the Wang Opera Center
2408 Linwood Ave, Naples, FL 34112

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Lauren Cook
  • Justice Scalia — Camron Gray
  • The Commentator — Cameron Jackson

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Ramón Tebar
  • Director — Mark Danni

+ OperaDelaware (2019)

Double-bill with Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury
April 28m & May 3 | 2019
The Grand Opera House
818 N Market St, Wilmington, DE 19801

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Jennifer Zetlan
  • Justice Scalia — Brian Cheney
  • The Commentator — Ben Wager

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Sara Jobin
  • Director — Fenlon Lamb [for Scalia/Ginsburg]
  • Set Design — Jefferson Ridenour
  • Costume Design — A. T. Jones
  • Lighting Design — Tláloc López-Watermann
  • Make-Up & Wig Design — Brittany V. A. Rappise
  • Stage Manager — Monica Cook
  • Technical Director — Robert Parker

+ Opera North (2018)

October 12, 13 | 2018
Briggs Opera House
5 S Main St, White River Junction, VT 05001

October 14m | 2018
Dana Center for the Humanities
Saint Anselm College
100 St Anselm Dr, Manchester, NH 03102

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Emily Misch
  • Justice Scalia — Derek Jackenheimer
  • The Commentator — William Meinert

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Louis Burkot
  • Director — Audrey Chait
  • Lighting Designer — Kelly Martin
  • Costume Designer — Rebecca Ming
  • Stage Manager — Lily Ten Eyck

+ The Glimmerglass Festival (2017)

August 4, 13 | 2017
Alice Busch Opera Theater [Mainstage]
The Glimmerglass Festival
7300 State Highway 80, Cooperstown, NY 13326

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Mary Beth Nelson
  • Justice Scalia — William Burden, Artist in Residence
  • The Commentator — Brent Michael Smith

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Jesse Leong
  • Director — Brenna Corner
  • Scenery — James F. Rotondo III
  • Costumes — Sophie S. Schneider
  • Lighting — Peter Mitchell and S. Stolnack
  • Pianist/Principal Coach — Kyle Naig
  • Stage Manager — Dustin West

+ Castleton Festival (World Premiere, 2015)

Double-bill with Ravel & Franc-Nohain’s L’heure espagnole
July 11, 17, 19m | 2015
Festival Theatre
Castleton Festival
7 Castleton Meadows Lane, Castleton, VA 22716

CAST

  • Justice Ginsburg — Ellen Wieser
  • Justice Scalia — John Overholt
  • The Commentator — Adam Cioffari

PRODUCTION

  • Conductor — Salvatore Percacciolo
  • Stage Director — Maria Tucci
  • Scenic Designer — Julia Noulin-Mérat
  • Lighting Designer — Tláloc López-Watermann
  • Costume Designer — Lara de Bruijn
  • Wig & Makeup Designer — Kellen Easen
  • Stage Manager — Joan Llaneza
  • Assistant Stage Manager — Danielle Ranno

+ Other

Listings refer to presentations of excerpts (unless otherwise specified).

  • Supreme Court of the United States (June 2013)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Kimberly Christie
    • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Maryland Opera Studio [semi-staged reading] (February 2014)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Suzanne Karpov
    • Justice Scalia — Logan Webber
    • The Commentator — Ethan Lee Greene
    • Pianists/Coaches — David Hanlon, Justina Lee
    • Director — Nick Olcott
  • Washington National Opera (April 2014)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Jacqueline Echols
    • Justice Scalia — Patrick O’Halloran
    • The Commentator — Wei Wu
    • Pianist — Kevin Miller
  • National Constitution Center [private event] (April 2014)
  • Second Circuit Judicial Conference (June 2014)
    [co-sponsored by Columbia Law School, with artists from Opera Saratoga]
    • Justice Ginsburg — Jacquelyn Matava
    • Justice Scalia — George Ross Somerville
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Castleton Festival (June 2014)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Jessica Blau
    • Justice Scalia — John Overholt
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • The Glimmerglass Festival (July 2014)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Jacqueline Echols
  • Stanford Arts Institute & Stanford Law School [lecture-recital and faculty colloquium] (May 2015)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Suzanne Karpov
    • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Stony Brook University (September 2016)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Catherine Sandstedt
    • Justice Scalia — Jeremy Little
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Judicial–Congressional Dialogue at the Library of Congress (December 2017)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Mary Beth Nelson
    • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Bipartisan House Chiefs of Staff Initiative at the Library of Congress (July 2018)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Mary Beth Nelson
    • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang
  • Baltimore Concert Opera [concert performance] (April 5 & 7, 2019)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Jennifer Zetlan
    • Justice Scalia — Brian Cheney
    • The Commentator — Ben Wager
    • Conductor — Sara Jobin
    • Pianist — John Elam
  • Bipartisan Senate Chiefs of Staff Conference (September 2019)
    • Justice Ginsburg — Mary Beth Nelson
    • Justice Scalia — Peter Scott Drackley
    • Speaker and Pianist — Derrick Wang