Peter Sellars: Mourning through Music (Video)

About the Video

“It’s not an accident that most of the greatest art comes from the most painful periods in human history,” reflects visionary director Peter Sellars. Internationally celebrated for his groundbreaking interpretations of opera and theater—from the Metropolitan Opera to the Salzburg Festival—Sellars has devoted his career to exploring the profound relationship between art, suffering, and the human spirit. A MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and one of the most influential voices in contemporary performance, he joined Ara Guzelimian, Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival and former Dean and Provost of The Juilliard School, for an intimate and deeply moving conversation on December 3, 2025. Interwoven with live music by violinist Keir Gogwilt, the evening explored the art that emerged from Sellars’s darkest life moments and his enduring belief in music’s power to guide us through grief, loss, and transformation. The program opened with this short film, produced by Princeton University Concerts in collaboration with There We Go Films.