Mormons at the Met

by Glen Nelson

During the 2011-2012 season at the Metropolitan Opera, six Mormon singers were engaged to perform principal roles. This is an unparalleled, historic achievement in LDS culture, a true Mormon moment. Author Glen Nelson is an opera fan and librettist, and Mormons at the Met is his intimate chronicle of a year at the opera house. Nelson set out to write about the season by: attending all eight of the operas with LDS singers in them, following the Met through the media, researching the history of Mormon singers and composers at the Metropolitan, exploring what "Mormon opera" might mean to those inside and outside the church, uncovering stories of singers' conversions to the gospel, discussing the effects on the family of a career in opera, examining the Met's finances, union contracts, and leadership, and--how could he not?--by telling stories of the Met's outsize egos, vast ambitions, missteps, and dumb luck. Along the way, the author experienced operas written about Mormons, operas composed by Mormons, and operas performed with Mormons in principal roles. Ultimately, the 450-page book aims to answer a straightforward question: what is it like to be a Mormon in the seats of the Metropolitan audience for a season?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0615719422
• ISBN13: 9780615719429
• Release Date: October 2012
• Publisher: Mormon Artists Group
• Length: 474 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 6.0"