My name is Ellaina Lewis and I am a performing artist who works mainly in opera and classical music. My musical life began as a child with gospel music and with my parents as my first teachers. It’s true that my father was the first living composer I worked closely with as he would write at home. I was his soloist at age 4. To this day I love to sing the classics of Mozart and Bellini and am always inspired by living composers I have the honor to work with. 

Thank you! There are multiple reasons why I wanted to record these particular works. Because of his mastery of classical and jazz techniques and his ability to create so beautifully for the voice, Richard Thompson has a unique way of capturing emotion through his music. The poetry he’s chosen and the texts that he wrote himself are very personal and contemplative. Many speak of the inner world of Black Americans in a way that lays bare so much that we feel the need to hide. Joe Williams introduced me to Thompson’s compositions during the pandemic. I felt a sense of relief and gratitude when delving into his writing. With the album I hoped to help amplify his rich music that truly helped me through very difficult times. 

In the last few years my work has developed along with confidence I’ve gained along the way as an artist. Especially in classical music, we’re challenged by expectations based on how others have performed or recorded in the past. It’s always my goal to figure out what my voice has to lend to a new sharing of these well known songs. I’m also grateful that there have been many more opportunities to perform work of my choosing. It’s possible that this is a product of how long I’ve worked as an artist, and possibly the work itself, that opens doors. Either way I’m elated for each time I present a lesser known piece or composer and hear from the audience that they were impacted in a profound way. 

I create in part due to my curiosity about the natural world, how we experience connection to nature, to each other, and to our ancestors. I create to listen and to hear what my voice brings to the conversation. Music is healing for the artists and listeners and I feel responsible for continuing that important work. 

The impact of the 2025 Artist Trust Fellowship has been enormous. Thank you for bringing such a positive focus to my work and specifically to Life’s Sweet Shadows. I’ve begun to study toward my next project and in the interim am recording a phenomenal set of songs written for me by Sheila Bristow on the poems of Angelina Weld Grimké. 

With the financial challenges faced by many arts organizations it’s vital that artists have opportunities to work independently, to present their work, and to easily access a diverse network. The more you can assist artists out of the struggles we all face the stronger the Washington State art community will become.