One of the most talked-about contemporary operas of the past decade, Scalia/Ginsburg—the sharp-witted and unexpectedly touching comedy by American composer-librettist Derrick Wang—comes to the historic Ridglea Theater. This North Texas premiere brings one of opera’s most celebrated modern works to Fort Worth audiences.

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Since its 2015 debut, Scalia/Ginsburg has earned widespread acclaim for its wit, warmth, and surprising emotional depth. The late Ruth Bader Ginsburg herself famously called it “a dream come true,” while critics have praised it as a “perfect…jewel” (Opera Today) and “the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire). The Los Angeles Times went even further, declaring: “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?”

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This sharp-witted and unexpectedly moving opera explores the unlikely friendship between U.S. Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—and the pivotal moment that would shape the Court for years to come. Directed by celebrated American director, writer, and producer Audrey Chait and conducted by Stephanie Rhodes Russell, Resident Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Associate Professor and Music Director of Opera at the University of North Texas, the production brings theatrical clarity, musical agility, and electric chemistry to this iconic pairing.

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Award-winning tenor Peter Scott Drackley embodies the formidable and incisive Scalia, while Metropolitan Opera and Broadway leading lady Jennifer Zetlan brings intelligence, wit, and commanding presence to the role of Ginsburg. Powerful lyric bass Andrew Simpson appears as the Commentator, a quick-tongued narrator who frames the action with comic precision and theatrical flair.

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The ensemble features musicians of the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, whose artistry and precision provide a vibrant, intimate soundscape perfectly suited to Wang’s sparkling score, continuing a valued artistic collaboration into the 2026–2027 season.

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By turns hilarious, humane, and deeply moving, Scalia/Ginsburg reminds us that opera can be both intellectually nimble and irresistibly entertaining—where law, politics, and friendship collide, and the courtroom sings.