WHERE THE EARTH BREATHES

Soprano Ellaina Lewis demonstrates an extensive range of vocal and dramatic ability. Originally from Washington, D.C., she now makes her home in Seattle. She is a popular artist on Northwest stages. In addition to Seattle Opera, where Ms. Lewis performed the roles of Girlfriend II in Blue, and Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess, she has performed with Puget Sound Opera, Tacoma Opera, Seattle Choral Company, Everett Symphony, Sammamish Symphony, SD Prism Dance Company, ArtsWest, Northwest New Works Festival, Northwest Opera in Schools, Etc. Greg Thompson Productions, The Eastside Performance Group, The Ladies Musical Club, Classic Cascade Symphony, and The Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ms. Lewis has sung principal roles such as Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, Monica in Menotti’s The Medium, Treemonisha in Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha, Erzulie in Flaherty’s Once on this Island, Pamina in The Magic Flute, and Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel.

Concert engagements include classical repertoire ranging from Haydn’s Creation and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate to Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 and Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Ms. Lewis has had the pleasure on many occasions to blend her love of singing and her passion for dance. She has collaborated with S.D. Prism Dance Theater, contributing vocal improvisations as the dancers interpret the choreography of the company’s founder, Sonia Dawkins. She also participated in Silk Road, a multimedia production by A.C. Petersen inspired by the lives of immigrant women working in sweatshops. It featured contemporary dance, music, with Ellaina as vocal soloist, video, and field-recorded voices. Among her premiere performances are the title role in Sally Hemings, an opera and film production by Garrett Fisher; and the role of Simona in Night Flight, the operatic adaptation of the Saint-Exupéry novel with Book-It Repertory Theatre.