Notorious RBG Makes Opera Debut in Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment

By Stephen Raskauskas |

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Opera lover and Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has appeared in an opera before – at least, in a way. She is a character in Scalia/Ginsburg, a comic one act with words and music by Derrick Wang that had its world premiere in July 2015. But now, Ginsburg herself will appear in a production of Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment with her hometown company, Washington National Opera. The Notorious RBG will play the non-singing role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Though this is her operatic debut, the justice said she’s ready to take the stage, according to a report by NPR, saying, “What’s to be nervous about?”

Justice Ginsburg visited WFMT in 2015 to share her love of classical music and to explore the relationship between her two greatest passions: opera and the law. She also revealed five operas she wants everyone to experience: