Works & Process at the Guggenheim will present the U.S. premiere of Lili Elbe, a groundbreaking opera by composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman, on Monday, October 27, 2025, at 7 p.m. in the Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Tickets start at $25.
The event offers an exclusive preview of Lili Elbe before its full American premiere at The Santa Fe Opera in 2026. The opera, based on the true story of Danish painter Lili Elbe—one of the first known recipients of gender-affirmation surgery—tells a deeply human story of identity, courage, and love. It is also the first major opera written about a transgender person with a trans opera singer cast in the title role.
Composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman will join director James Robinson and members of the cast for an evening of conversation and live excerpts. Performing in the presentation are American Heldenbaritonistin Lucia Lucas as Lili Elbe and soprano Sylvia D’Eramo as Gerda Wegener, Lili’s wife and artistic partner.
The opera premiered at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland in October 2023, earning widespread acclaim. Critics hailed it as “an emotionally charged masterpiece” (Voralberger Zeitung) and “a work that resonates deeply with our times” (Kronen Zeitung). The production was named “Best World Premiere” at the 2024 Oper! Magazine Awards.
Picker and Stollman’s collaboration on Lili Elbe continues a shared interest in exploring emotional and psychological depth through art. Picker, a GRAMMY Award–winning composer, has written operas for the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, and Santa Fe Opera. His works, including Emmeline, Dolores Claiborne, and Awakenings, have established him as one of America’s foremost composers for the lyric stage.
Stollman, an acclaimed novelist and practicing neuroradiologist, is the author of The Far Euphrates and The Illuminated Soul, both celebrated for their philosophical and humanistic insight. His literary background brings a distinctive voice to the libretto, blending emotional clarity with poetic restraint.
Together, Picker and Stollman’s Lili Elbe invites audiences to reflect on transformation, acceptance, and the power of love amid social and personal upheaval.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit worksandprocess.org.
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