Composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman present selections from Lili Elbe—the first full-scale opera about a transgender person composed for a trans opera singer in the title role—which will have its American premiere at The Santa Fe Opera in 2026. The opera tells the true story of Lili Elbe, a celebrated Danish painter who, with the steadfast support of her wife, Gerda, became one of the first to undergo gender-affirmation surgery nearly a century ago. Members of the production’s creative team will discuss their process and excerpts will be performed.

Continue the conversation at a post-performance reception in the rotunda.

Photo: Gerda Wegener, Portrait of Lili Elbe, ca. 1928