The career of soprano Lucy Shelton has been shaped by exploration. Shelton, a contemporary music specialist who has premiered works by Knussen, Carter and Grisey, continues to prove that musical curiosity outweighs perceptions of age. Looking to the 2025-26 season, she’ll make her Metropolitan Opera company debut, in Kaija Saariaho’s “Innocence,” aged 82.
I sat down with the soprano on a sunny yet chilly afternoon in New York. We spoke about how she became a champion of contemporary music, her experiences of ageism, and what keeps her musically excited.
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