Gregory Spears Announces THE MYSTERIES World Premiere and 2026-27 Season

Composer Gregory Spears has announced a 2026-2027 season led by the world premiere of The Mysteries, a major new work for orchestra that receives its world premiere with the Columbus Symphony at the Ohio Theatre before the orchestra brings it to Carnegie Hall the following week, as well as the world premiere of Bartleby, a new song cycle for mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianist Christopher Cano, at the Tucson Desert Song Festival. The 10th anniversary tour of Spears' Fellow Travelers, produced by Up Until Now Collective, continues with presentations by Austin Opera and BAM. These productions are preceded by a new production at Opera McGill in Montreal. Spears' opera for young people, Jason and the Argonauts, will be presented by Welsh National Opera in spring 2027. Two recordings are scheduled for release in 2027: the world premiere live recording of Sleepers Awake with Opera Philadelphia, and Secrets, recorded at The Frick Collection.

Commissioned by a consortium including the Columbus Symphony and the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, The Mysteries (2026) receives its world premiere with the Columbus Symphony, conducted by Rossen Milanov, at the Ohio Theatre on October 23 and 24, 2026. Milanov then leads the orchestra in a performance of the work at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium on October 28, 2026, as part of its 75th anniversary celebration. The Princeton Symphony Orchestra gives further performances of The Mysteries on January 23 and 24, 2027, at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, NJ.

Of The Mysteries, Spears' largest purely orchestral work to date, the composer writes, 'In a chaotic world where we crave certainty, art can help us confront the mysteries hiding in plain sight. This three-movement piece (lasting 27 minutes) begins with small musical fragments that might seem familiar – a medieval fanfare, a tragic crashing chord, a warm ambient texture, a chaconne, a chant-like refrain. These musical objects are repeated, recombined, and layered in ways that allow us to hear them in new ways. Rather than trying to evoke a commonplace idea of the 'mystical,' this piece is more concerned with re-imagining commonplace musical materials in ways that reveal their ambiguities and emotional depths. The first movement does this in a collage-like way, where the music snaps from one idea to another. The second is more solemn, repeating small phrases that evoke devotional forms like the litany. The third movement explores a process of fragmentation where a song is invaded by gaps of silence, as if the music could be turned on and off like a switch. This last movement is also a meditation on absence, inspired by the disintegrating textures of late-Romanticism. It evokes an autumnal world in which decay and opulence can co-exist.'

True Concord presents the world premiere of Bartleby, commissioned by The Tucson Desert Song Festival, on November 17, 2026, at Holsclaw Hall on the University of Arizona campus, with mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianist Christopher Cano, the duo for whom the work was written. Originally scheduled for spring 2026, the premiere was postponed and will now open the 2026-2027 season. Based on Herman Melville's enigmatic short story, Bartleby tells the story of the famous 'scrivener' who has intrigued philosophers and literature fans alike with his inscrutable refrain: 'I would prefer not to.' The work is composed as a companion piece to Spears' earlier song cycle Walden (based on Thoreau). Both monodramas explore the minds of isolated figures who, in their iconoclastic manner, embody the paradoxes of 19th-century American Romanticism.

Spears' opera Fellow Travelers (libretto by Greg Pierce) is presented by Opera McGill at the Pollack Concert Hall, Schulich School of Music of McGill University, in Montreal, Canada on November 12, 13, and 14, 2026 in a new production and then continues its multi-year tour marking the opera's tenth anniversary presented by Austin Opera, produced by Up Until Now Collective and directed by Kevin Newbury, at The Long Center on February 6 and 7, 2027; and performances presented by the BAM in the Howard Gilman Opera House on April 23, 24, and 25, 2027. Fellow Travelers is set during the 'Lavender Scare,' a government-led purge that targeted gay men and lesbians in the US federal workforce, telling the story of two men whose love becomes a perilous secret in an era of surveillance, political paranoia, and fear. Fellow Travelers has been produced 20 times, including at the Prototype Festival in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Arizona Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Parallèle, and London's University College Opera, and premiered in 2016 at Cincinnati Opera. For the opera's tenth anniversary, Fellow Travelers is being performed in a multi-year international tour, joined by a consortium of companies including Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, and the 2026 Glimmerglass Festival. Based on Thomas Mallon's acclaimed novel that was recently adapted into a Showtime/Paramount+ limited series, the opera pairs political intrigue with a deeply human portrait of love lived in the shadows. The tour's 2026 performances drew praise for Spears' 'singularly evocative score' (The Wall Street Journal), and The Seattle Times wrote that 'Spears proves a natural opera composer and writes gratefully for the voice.'

Also this season, Welsh National Opera presents Jason and the Argonauts, Spears' 45-minute opera for young people written in collaboration with librettist Kathryn Walat and originally commissioned by Lyric Opera of Chicago, in a run of five performances across the UK, including the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff; the Mayflower Studios, Southampton; Theatr Clwyd, Mold; and Pontio, Bangor in March and April 2027. Raised among nature and music in a magical forest, Jason longs to be a hero. When he discovers that his Uncle Pelias has stolen his place as King, he rushes to reclaim the throne. But King Pelias has one condition: Jason must bring him the Golden Fleece. Joined by his team of Argonauts, they sail to Colchis, the home of the mystical fleece, but is met with dangerous dragons and sneaky sirens. Together, they must be brave and clever and learn the true power of music.

On December 11, 2026, the University of Rochester's Eastman School of Music, Spears' alma mater, performs A New Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei, his alternate completion of Mozart's Requiem, at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre in Rochester, NY. Spears' three movements replace the commonly performed versions by Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who completed the Requiem shortly after Mozart's death. Commissioned and premiered by Seraphic Fire, the work has been performed throughout the U.S. and in Europe.

On May 14, 2027, VocalEssence presents SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins at Ted Mann Concert Hall in Minneapolis, including Spears' VANITY (or THE PREACHER). First presented by MasterVoices at Alice Tully Hall in March 2026, SEVEN brings together seven composers from the worlds of Broadway and classical music. Spears' contribution was described as 'emotionally potent' (Interludes).

In February 2027, BCM&D Records releases the world premiere live recording of Spears' newest opera, Sleepers Awake, commissioned and premiered by Opera Philadelphia in April 2026. Inspired by the writings of modernist Swiss author Robert Walser and other literary sources, the opera was praised as 'ravishingly beautiful' (parterre box) and 'haunting' and 'evocative' (The Wall Street Journal). Ahead of the premiere, Spears was profiled by The New York Times in an article titled 'A Composer Who Loops Musical Time and History.'

A second album, scheduled for release in late spring 2027 on New Amsterdam Records, features Secrets, an album-length work recorded at The Frick Collection following its world premiere there in February 2026. Inspired by Giovanni Battista Moroni's Portrait of a Woman (1575) from the museum's permanent collection, the work fuses musical styles from the Renaissance to the 21st century and is performed by the period instrument ensemble Sonnambula and vocal trio ModernMedieval Voices on a blend of modern and period instruments, including Renaissance viols.

2026-2027 Season Calendar

Friday, October 23, 2026 – Saturday, October 24, 2026
Columbus Symphony Presents THE MYSTERIES [World Premiere]
Ohio Theatre | Columbus, OH
Link

Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Columbus Symphony Presents THE MYSTERIES [New York Premiere]
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall | New York, NY
Link

Thursday, November 12, 2026 – Saturday, November 14, 2026
Opera McGill Presents Fellow Travelers
Pollack Concert Hall, Schulich School of Music of McGill University | Montreal, Canada
Link

Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Tucson Desert Song Festival Presents Bartleby feat. Jennifer Johnson Cano & Christopher Cano [World Premiere]
UA School of Music, Holsclaw Hall | Tucson, AZ
Link

Friday, December 11, 2026
Eastman School of Music Presents A New Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei for the Mozart Requiem
Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre | Rochester, NY
Link

Saturday, January 23, 2027 – Sunday, January 24, 2027
Princeton Symphony Presents THE MYSTERIES
Richardson Auditorium | Princeton, NJ
Link

Saturday, February 6, 2027 – Sunday, February 7, 2027
Austin Opera Presents Fellow Travelers
The Long Center | Austin, TX
Link

Saturday, March 13, 2027 – Saturday, April 10, 2027
Welsh National Opera Presents Jason and the Argonauts
Wales Millennium Centre | Cardiff, Wales (two performances on March 13, 2027)
Mayflower Studios | Southampton, England
Theatr Clwyd | Mold, Wales
Pontio | Bangor, Wales
Link

Friday, April 23, 2027 – Sunday, April 25, 2027
BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) Presents Fellow Travelers
Howard Gilman Opera House | Brooklyn, NY
Link

Friday, May 14, 2027
VocalEssence Presents SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins, including Spears' VANITY (or THE PREACHER)
Ted Mann Concert Hall | Minneapolis, MN
Link

About Gregory Spears

Praised for 'astonishingly beautiful' (The New York Times) music and a 'singular compositional voice, unlike any that has been heard in opera before' (The New Yorker), composer Gregory Spears is acclaimed for his distinctive blend of romanticism, minimalism, and early music influences, which seeks to collapse layers of history into one moment, our own. His works, spanning opera, orchestral, chamber, and vocal music, are celebrated for their melodic richness, emotional clarity, and sensitivity to text.

Spears' operas have been staged by leading companies in the U.S. and abroad. Spears' latest opera, Sleepers Awake, inspired by the writings of modernist Swiss author Robert Walser and other literary sources, premiered at Opera Philadelphia in spring 2026 and was praised as 'ravishingly beautiful' (parterre box) and 'haunting' and 'evocative' (The Wall Street Journal). Ahead of the premiere, Spears was profiled by The New York Times in an article titled 'A Composer Who Loops Musical Time and History.'

Highlights of Spears' 2026-2027 season include the world premiere of a large-scale orchestral piece, The Mysteries, commissioned by a consortium including the Columbus Symphony, which will premiere the work in Ohio before bringing it to Carnegie Hall in celebration of the orchestra's 75th anniversary, followed by performances with the Princeton Symphony Orchestra; the world premiere of Bartleby, a song cycle based on Herman Melville's enigmatic short story, written for mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano and pianist Christopher Cano, at the Tucson Desert Song Festival; and performances of his opera for young people written in collaboration with librettist Kathryn Walat, Jason and the Argonauts, by Welsh National Opera.

Spears' best-known work, Fellow Travelers (libretto by Greg Pierce), is celebrated as a modern classic. The world premiere at Cincinnati Opera in 2016 was praised as 'one of the most accomplished new operas I have seen in recent years' (Chicago Tribune) and an opera that 'seems assured of lasting appeal' (The New York Times), and a commercial recording was released in 2017. Fellow Travelers has been produced 20 times, including at the Prototype Festival in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Arizona Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Parallèle, and London's University College Opera. For the opera's tenth anniversary, Fellow Travelers is being performed in a multi-year tour, joined by a consortium of companies including Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, and the 2026 Glimmerglass Festival. The tour continues in Spears' 2026-2027 season with performances presented by Austin Opera, and the opera returns to New York at BAM in April 2027. Opera McGill in Montreal presents a new production in fall 2026.

Spears has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Seraphic Fire, The Crossing, Bang on a Can, Volti, BMI/Concert Artists Guild, Vocal Arts DC, New York Polyphony, The New York International Piano Competition, JACK Quartet, and the New York Youth Symphony, among many others.

He has continued to shape the landscape of contemporary opera with works that marry innovative musical language with compelling storytelling. His opera The Righteous, with a libretto by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith, was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera and premiered in 2024 to critical acclaim; it was named a 'Critic's Pick' by The New York Times and shortlisted for an International Opera Award. Earlier collaborations with Smith include Castor and Patience, commissioned for Cincinnati Opera's centennial season and premiered in 2022, a work praised as 'warm, steady, restrained' with 'outpourings so fervent, the melodies so sweet, that you can find yourself moved nearly to tears' by The New York Times. In the 2021-2022 season, the New York Philharmonic commissioned and premiered Love Story, an orchestral song cycle for countertenor and orchestra, featuring another text by Smith.

Spears' first opera, Paul's Case, based on the Willa Cather short story and written in collaboration with librettist Kathryn Walat, was called 'a masterpiece' by The New York Observer and 'a compact, alluring, and attractively obsessive work' by New York Magazine. Developed by American Opera Projects, it premiered with Urban Arias in 2013, was restaged at the Prototype Festival in New York, and received a new production at Pittsburgh Opera in 2014. The original cast recording of Paul's Case was released on National Sawdust's record label in 2019. Spears and Walat also wrote the children's opera Jason and the Argonauts, which premiered at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2016 and has since been performed for more than 20,000 schoolchildren. His opera O Columbia, about space exploration, with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, premiered at Houston Grand Opera in 2015.

Beyond opera, Spears has developed a wide-ranging catalog of orchestral, choral, and chamber works such as Secrets, an album-length work for voices and period instruments inspired by a painting at The Frick Collection, and A New Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei (2013), Spears' alternate completion of Mozart's Requiem. His Requiem, released by New Amsterdam Records, and Seven Days showcase his gift for balancing intimacy with dramatic scale. Seven Days was first introduced as a custom-designed app produced by 92nd Street Y in 2021 before its album release in 2025, both featuring pianist Pedja Mužijević. Other notable commissions include The Bitter Good, written for New York Polyphony with support from Chamber Music America's Classical Commissioning Program in 2016; The Tower and the Garden, a work for choir and string quartet underwritten by the Ann Stookey Fund for New Music and released on Parma Recordings by The Crossing in 2021; and his Double Trumpet Concerto in 2019, commissioned by Concert Artists Guild. He composed the soundtrack for Kit Monkman's feature film Macbeth (2018), scored for mostly 18th-century instruments.

Spears is the recipient of numerous honors, including residencies from Yaddo, MacDowell, and the Copland House, and awards from BMI and ASCAP. He was a participant and later a composer mentor for The American Opera Project's Composers & the Voice Program, as well as a recent mentor composer for Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative.

He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Yale School of Music and earned a PhD in composition from Princeton University. He also studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen with composer Hans Abrahamsen.

Spears teaches at New York University and Purchase College, and his music is published by Schott Music and Schott PSNY. More information is available at gregoryspears.com.

Photo Credit: Michelle Gustafson