Lummis family commissions new Shepherd School opera in memory of daughter Adelaide

Composer Paola Prestini, librettist Mark Campbell will create work, set for 2029-30 season premiere in Houston

Photo credit: Erin Baiano

The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University announced the commissioning of a new mainstage opera, resulting from a major financial commitment by David ’84 and Susan Lummis in memory of their daughter Adelaide Emily Lummis. The opera, composed by Paola Prestini with libretto by Mark Campbell, will have its world premiere at the Lucian and Nancy Morrison Theater at Brockman Hall for Opera in the 2029-30 academic year with workshops beginning in 2028. This commission will give Shepherd School students a complete hands-on experience in bringing an opera to life, from early readings to fully staged performances.

Adelaide Lummis was born in Houston and trained as an actor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, graduating in 2015 then moving to Los Angeles to work in the theater and on screen. She died of cancer in November 2025 at the age of 32. After conversations with Matthew Loden, the Lynette S. Autrey Dean of Music, David and Susan Lummis chose to honor Adelaide’s love of the theatrical arts by commissioning a new opera with a commitment to the young performers who, like Adelaide, are at the start of their careers.

During her final months, Adelaide was reading about the life of Grand Duchess Tatiana Romanov (the second daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra) and her sister Olga. Their relationship forms the creative heart of the new opera, a 90-minute one-act work focusing on the human, domestic side of the Romanov sisters as war and revolution unfold offstage.

“At its core, the story of Tatiana Romanov is not a history lesson about empires; it is a story of love, devotion and a young woman making the courageous choice to stand by her family even as the world around her fractures,” Prestini said. “Collaborating with Mark Campbell to bring the Lummis’ tribute to their daughter Adelaide to life at Rice’s Shepherd School of Music is a profound honor. Writing for the exceptional young artists at the Shepherd School allows us to capture the genuine youth, vulnerability and resilience of Tatiana and Olga, tracing their journey from lyrical intimacy to profound dramatic silence.”

Read Rice University press release in full here.