“Best New Work: Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative had not produced a new opera that could be called great—until this year. Missy Mazzoli, a composer with a major success already under her belt, followed up with the excellent one-hour opera Proving Up. Based on a surreal frontier story by the young American writer Karen Russell, the opera explores haunted soundscapes both vocal and instrumental. Soprano Leah Hawkins was a sensation in the powerful role of Ma Zegner.”