“Scalia/Ginsburg is for me a dream come true.”
—Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“When I read the words to [Scalia/Ginsburg], I had an incredible revelation…and it gave me so much hope.”
—Drew Barrymore

“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?” 
—Los Angeles Times

We are different. We are one.

Scalia/Ginsburg

an opera by Derrick Wang

inspired by the opinions of U.S. Supreme Court Justices
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia

and by the “operatic precedent” of
Händel, Mozart, Rossini, Bellini, Verdi, Offenbach, Bizet, Sullivan, Puccini, Strauss, et al.

Video: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg explains Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg. (Source: Bloomberg / The David Rubenstein Show.)

Video [at 48:22]: “We are different. We are one.” The central duet of Scalia/Ginsburg (2019 OperaDelaware production) is featured on Carnegie Hall’s program Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2020), introduced by Isabel Leonard.

Video [at 51:00]: Derrick Wang speaks with the U.S. Copyright Office about how his opera Scalia/Ginsburg ushered in the era of Supreme Court-themed art.

Video: Drew Barrymore reflects on how reading the words of Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg “changed [her] life.” (Source: The Drew Barrymore Show.)

Video: Curtain call at the 2019 OperaDelaware production of Derrick Wang’s opera Scalia/Ginsburg — the best-selling production in the company’s 75-year history.

SUMMARY

Hailed as “a dream come true” (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), a “perfect…jewel” (Opera Today), and “the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire), Scalia/Ginsburg is a one-act operatic comedy by composer-librettist Derrick Wang about the unlikely friendship between U.S. Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia — and the pivotal moment that would change the Supreme Court for years to come. Inspired by the Justices’ own words, this “buoyant show with a deeply serious core” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) was first introduced at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013, ushering in the era of Supreme Court-themed art.

Premiered in 2015 at noted conductor Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival and revised for its 2017 production at The Glimmerglass Festival, Scalia/Ginsburg continues to be produced across the United States and abroad, receiving its Australian premiere in 2021 by Orchestra Victoria. OperaDelaware’s 2019 mainstage production of Scalia/Ginsburg, the best-selling show in the company’s 79-year history, has been broadcast on national radio and featured on Live with Carnegie Hall.

Justices Ginsburg and Scalia themselves wrote forewords to Derrick Wang’s libretto, an early version of which was published in the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts and excerpted as a chapter in Justice Ginsburg’s 2016 book My Own Words. The Los Angeles Times wrote: “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?”

REVIEWS

“A perfect…jewel” (Opera Today)

“Swingingly irresistible, but also rhetorically compelling” (Opera News)

“A fantastic gem…a blast to watch…the very definition of inclusive…this is the kind of opera that should be everywhere” (OperaWire)

“Fun, melodic…smart and sparkling…lushly lyrical…Lively and clever, Scalia/Ginsburg bravely asks why can’t we all get along” (Orlando Sentinel)

“Wondrous…highly entertaining” (San Francisco Classical Voice)

“Brilliant…gorgeous” (DC Theatre Scene) 

“Funny, exceedingly clever” (Above the Law) 

“Tuneful…accessible…smart…a triumph” (The American Interest)

“A buoyant show with a deeply serious core” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

“Laser-accurate…top-notch” (Classical Voice North America) 

“Engaging…plays cleverly [with] musical wit” (Wall Street Journal)

“Sassy” (Naples Daily News)

“Riveting…inventive” (Town Topics)

“Lusciously funny, divinely witty…[Scalia/Ginsburg] glitters dazzlingly” (U.S. 1)

“A fiercely entertaining crash course on the U.S. Constitution and the people who uphold it.…Who knew that an opera audience could holler and cheer like it was the Super Bowl?” (Broad Street Review)

“Opera simply is not supposed to be this much fun. There are few comic operas that maintain intense humor throughout — Gianni Schicchi may be an exception. Scalia/Ginsburg not only shares that rare comedic perch, but it is informative almost like no other opera.” (Berkshire Fine Arts)

“This is ecumenical non-partisanship with intelligence, wit, verve, style, and an utter sweetness of purpose.” (Houston Press)

“Miraculous…A laugh-out-loud funny courtroom opera…Every minute is valuable and impactful.” (Daily Iowan)

“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?” (Los Angeles Times)

“We are different. We are one”: the 2019 OperaDelaware production of Scalia/Ginsburg. L to R: Jennifer Zetlan (Justice Ginsburg), Brian Cheney (Justice Scalia), Ben Wager (The Commentator). Photo: Justin Heyes, Moonloop Photography.

“We are different. We are one”: the 2019 OperaDelaware production of Scalia/Ginsburg. L to R: Jennifer Zetlan (Justice Ginsburg), Brian Cheney (Justice Scalia), Ben Wager (The Commentator). Photo: Justin Heyes, Moonloop Photography.

Illustration by David Parkins

Illustration by David Parkins

Click/tap any of the headings below (denoted by the + symbol) for more details.

ABOUT

+ Information for Producers & Presenters

Scalia/Ginsburg is available for performance by professional companies on a limited basis. To inquire about a license to produce Scalia/Ginsburg, visit the Contact page and complete the form “I want to produce ‘Scalia/Ginsburg’”.

Scalia/Ginsburg is a one-hour English-language operatic comedy.
Written on a contemporary American topic, composed in a highly accessible musical language, and featuring numerous references to famous operas, Scalia/Ginsburg is intended to delight first-time and long-time opera- and theatergoers alike.

Suggested Pairings

Scalia/Ginsburg has been successfully produced as a stand-alone one-hour performance. If planning a longer program, however, consider the following:

For an interdisciplinary experience:
Precede or follow the performance with a panel discussion with guest speakers about law, justice, and the Supreme Court today. Previous productions have even included a Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminar for lawyers.

For a full program of comedic English-language opera about the law:
Consider beginning the evening with Gilbert & Sullivan’s half-hour comedy Trial by Jury, which features not only compatible instrumentation but also opportunities for young artists (who can star in Trial by Jury, understudy/cover the principal roles in Scalia/Ginsburg, and/or optionally appear as supernumeraries in Scalia/Ginsburg).

“It’s close to divine inspiration to pair a Gilbert & Sullivan farce on the justice system with Scalia/Ginsburg, the sassy work on the Supreme Court’s unlikeliest friendship.”
—Naples Daily News

Specifications

Genre — Comedy
Acts — One act
Language — English
Duration — ca. 60 min.
Cast — 3 principals; no chorus

  • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, soprano or high mezzo-soprano
    • Soprano: (opt. G#3–) B3–C#6 (opt. D6, E6)
    • Mezzo-soprano: G#3–B5
  • Justice Antonin Scalia, tenor
    • (opt. Bb2–) C3–Bb4 (opt. C5)
  • The Commentator, bass or bass-baritone
    • (opt. D2–) Gb2–Eb4

Orchestra:

  • Chamber Orchestra version (min. 23 players)
    • 1(pic).1.2(bcl).1 / 2.2.2.0 / timp(perc).pf(kbd) / str. (min. 3.2.2.2.1)
    • Compare with Trial by Jury (original scoring): 1(pic).1.2.1 / 2.2.2.0 / timp(perc) / str.
  • Septet version (min. 7 players) [limited availability]
    • 0.0.0.0 / 0.0.0.0 / timp(perc).pf(kbd) / str. (min. 1.1.1.1.1)
    • Same instrumentation as Trial by Jury (orchestration by Derrick Wang)

+ The Plot (in pictures)

What happens when Supreme Court Justices go before a Higher Power? In this operatic comedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia face a series of trials as they grapple with their opposing views, legal legacies, and unlikely friendship. Opinions will be offered. Dissents will be delivered. And justice will be sung.

OperaDelaware (2019)

+ The Script (i.e. Libretto)

Justices Ginsburg and Scalia wrote forewords to Derrick Wang’s libretto [script], an early version of which was published in 2015 by the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts. Excerpts from the libretto are republished in Justice Ginsburg’s 2016 book My Own Words as the chapter “The Scalia/Ginsburg Opera,” the audiobook version of which is narrated and performed by Derrick Wang from New York’s Steinway Hall.

After the passing of Justice Scalia, the libretto was revised for the 2017 production of Scalia/Ginsburg at The Glimmerglass Festival. This revised libretto is to be published in a forthcoming new edition.

+ The Score / Musical Numbers

A buddy comedy with an operatic twist, Scalia/Ginsburg reflects the witty style of its subjects by applying “operatic precedent.” Like a Supreme Court opinion, the score of Scalia/Ginsburg is a mosaic of allusions to influential statements of the past.

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

  • “The Justices are blind!” (Scalia)
    • Originalist rage aria, in the style of Händel.
  • “Dissent!” (Commentator)
    • Patter aria, in the style of Rossini and Gilbert & Sullivan.
  • “Oh, Nino” (Ginsburg, Scalia)
    • Bel canto cavatina, in the style of Bellini.
  • “Always ‘liberal’” (Scalia, Ginsburg)
    • Competing insertion arias from Verdi and Mozart, in the spirit of Offenbach.
  • “You are searching in vain (for a bright-line solution)” (Ginsburg)
    • Aria and variations in evolving styles, including opera, jazz, and gospel-pop.
  • “He built stairs” (Scalia)
    • Lyric aria, in the style of Puccini (but American).
  • “You, sir, are wrong here” (Ginsburg)
    • Sinfonia concertante da camera, in the style of Mozart & the Mendelssohns.
  • “Withdrawn!” (Commentator)
  • “We are different, we are one” (Ginsburg, Scalia)
  • Finale (Commentator, Ginsburg, Scalia)
    • Trilingual trio, featuring Puccini & R. Strauss.

HISTORY

+ The Supreme Court of the United States

On June 27, 2013, the day after the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, composer-librettist Derrick Wang appeared at the Supreme Court to present selections from his new opera, Scalia/Ginsburg.

For more information, listen to Nina Totenberg’s coverage of the Supreme Court presentation — and see Derrick Wang’s TEDxBroadway talk on his journey with Scalia/Ginsburg from the Supreme Court to the stage.

Scalia V. Ginsburg: Supreme Court Sparring, Put to Music
Nina Totenberg

+ The World Premiere

In July 2015, the world premiere production of Scalia/Ginsburg took place at the Castleton Festival, founded by renowned conductor Lorin Maazel in Castleton, Virginia.

(MSNBC reports that Justice Ginsburg attended and said, “I had a wonderful time. I loved every minute of it.”)

+ The 2017 Version

In August 2017, Scalia/Ginsburg received its sold-out second production in a revised version at The Glimmerglass Festival, one of the largest summer opera festivals in the United States. Acclaimed tenor William Burden, celebrated for originating lead roles in major American operas, sang the role of Scalia. The final performance was followed by a discussion with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

+ Press

Scalia/Ginsburg has been featured extensively in worldwide media, including:

  • the original NPR exclusive at the Supreme Court by Nina Totenberg,
  • a front-page article in The Wall Street Journal,
  • a three-page illustrated feature in the Süddeutsche Zeitung [Germany’s largest national subscription daily newspaper],

and articles and interviews in outlets including:

Scalia/Ginsburg has also been a featured topic on the ABC TV program Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.

Making Opera out of the Scalia/Ginsburg Relationship
Here & Now (Feb. 16, 2016)

PRODUCTIONS

  1. Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival (2015 World Premiere)

  2. The Glimmerglass Festival (2017 Revised Version)

  3. Opera North (2018)

  4. Opera Delaware (2019)

  5. Opera Naples (2020)

  6. Opera Carolina (2020)

  7. Opera Grand Rapids (2020)

  8. Opera Memphis at the GPAC Grove (2021)

  9. Opera Las Vegas (2021)

  10. Chautauqua Opera Company (2021)

  11. Opera in the Rock at the Clinton Presidential Center (2021)

  12. Solo Opera (2021)

  13. Penn Square Opera [as Penn Square Music Festival] (2022)

  14. Opera in the Heights at the Holocaust Museum Houston (2022)

  15. The Princeton Festival / Princeton Symphony Orchestra (2022)

  16. Painted Sky Opera (2022)

  17. Louisiana State University (LSU) (2023 University Premiere)

  18. Opera Ithaca at the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy (2023)

  19. Pacific Opera Project (2023)

  20. Anchorage Opera at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (2024)

  21. Opera del Sol at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (2024)

  22. Riverside Theatre (2024)

  23. Opera Company of Middlebury (2024)

  24. Fargo-Moorhead Opera (Feb. 28 & Mar. 02, 2025)

  25. Charlottesville Opera (March 28–29, 2025)

  26. Raylynmor Opera (June 2025)

  27. TBA (July 2025)

[Productions are independently produced. The mention of a licensed production on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an official endorsement or guarantee of any detail or quality of the production.]

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

  • Supreme Court of the United States (2013)

  • Maryland Opera Studio (2014)

  • Washington National Opera (2014)

  • National Constitution Center (2014)

  • Second Circuit Judicial Conference (2014)

  • Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival (2014)

  • The Glimmerglass Festival (2014)

  • Stanford Arts Institute & Stanford Law School (2015)

  • Judicial–Congressional Dialogue at the Library of Congress (2017)

  • Opera Baltimore [as Baltimore Concert Opera] (2019)

  • Orchestra Victoria (2021 Australian Premiere)