The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater is set to collaborate with the Metropolitan Opera on the new opera “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.”

The Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater will stage the world-premiere performance of the opera by composer Mason Bates and librettist Gene Scheer opening Nov. 15 and closing Nov. 22, 2024.

During the 2025-26 season, the Metropolitan Opera will stage the opera. The collaboration will include plans for other events including symposia, master classes, and lectures.

In a statement, Abra Bush, the David Henry Jacobs Bicentennial Dean said, “We are thrilled that we are about to embark upon this adventure with the Met. We can’t imagine a more exciting and advantageous opportunity for our students. This co-production will be a game changer for the work we do at Jacobs. While we are keen to stage the work itself, we are equally excited to have the creative team from the Met here in Bloomington to engage with our students in a number of ways.”

Met General Manager Peter Gelb added, “We’re delighted to have found a co-production partner in the Jacobs School of Music to develop and launch new operas that will help move our art form forward.”

“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” tells the story of two cousins, one a refugee from wartime Prague, the other a closeted queer Brooklynite, who team up to create the Escapist, a comic book superhero who takes America by storm as he battles Nazis and frees the oppressed. Meanwhile, both men unexpectedly find love and experience tragic loss before finding a way to move forward with their lives.

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