In 2013, E. M. Lewis was invited into American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program in New York, where she learned to write opera libretti from their distinguished faculty. She has also written lyrics for several songs that appear in her plays.
Operas
Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Fallen Giant (music by Evan Meier, libretto by E. M. Lewis) A 90-minute opera for eight singers and a mid-sized orchestra, for family audiences, commissioned by American Lyric Theater. A delightful musical mystery for the whole family to enjoy! A boy named Jack is accused of a terrible crime — killing Blunderbore, the Giant. Sherlock Holmes takes the case, with the help of his stalwart friend Dr. Watson.
Town Hall (music by Theo Popov, libretto by E. M. Lewis) An hour-long opera for ten singers and a small orchestra, commissioned by the Maryland Opera Studio. Produced by the Maryland Opera Studio at University of Maryland, and at Willamette University. Somewhere in America, a senator returns to his small town to hold a town hall. But he isn’t prepared for a member of the community to challenge his stance on health care. Torn from the headlines, Town Hall presents the real human side of this political argument.
The Resurrection Engine (music by Evan Meier, libretto by E. M. Lewis) A 30-minute chamber opera for piano and three singers (tenor, baritone, bass baritone). In this gothic Victorian horror story, two brothers battle over questions of science and religion as a young woman’s life hangs in the balance. Why should we lose what we have the power to keep?