From: Lily, Act II, Scene II
Category: Opera Aria
Instrumentation: voice, piano
Original Scoring: Voice and orchestra
Arrangement: Arranged for voice and piano from the orchestral score
Duration: 5+ minutes

How Strange to Think is sung near the beginning of the final scene of Lily. Lily is preparing for the party at which she will announce her engagement to Gus, a marriage that will restore her social and financial security.

As an attendant helps her with her hair and clothes, Lily reflects on her own situation and on the life of the young woman assisting her. The aria reveals the contrast between outward elegance and inward conflict, as Lily prepares to reclaim her place in society at great personal cost.

This aria calls for poise, introspection, and a layered dramatic approach. The singer should convey Lily’s awareness of class, circumstance, compromise, and emotional unease beneath the polished surface of the scene.