Lily
Garth Baxter, Composer
An opera in two acts. With libretto by Lisa VanAuken.
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Category: Opera
Instrumentation: voices, chorus, full orchestra
Structure: Opera in two acts
Source / Inspiration: Loosely based on The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
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Lily is a two-act traditional opera with arias, dramatic scenes, and full orchestral writing. Loosely based on Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, the opera follows the tragic descent of Lily Bart from high society in early 20th-century upstate New York into heartbreak, social ruin, and despair.
With a libretto by Lisa VanAuken, the score combines rich melodic writing, romantic intensity, and dramatic grandeur. Baxter’s operatic language is rooted in lyrical expression and recognizable formal design, while the story explores love, class, reputation, moral compromise, and the vulnerability of a woman trapped by the expectations of her society.
The recording of Lily was planned and created during the Covid pandemic. Because of production restrictions, the project was completed in two parts: the orchestral recording first, followed about a month and a half later by the filming of the staged scenes with the singers.
Synopsis:
In Act One, Lily Bart moves through the glittering but dangerous world of high society, where flirtation, financial dependence, and hidden letters create a web of vulnerability. Her relationship with Selden offers the possibility of real love, but misunderstanding and social pressure keep them apart. By the end of the act, Lily is threatened by Gus Trenor and falsely suspected by Selden, leaving her increasingly isolated.
In Act Two, Lily’s social position has collapsed, and she works in a hat shop while struggling to repay Gus. Hurt by Selden’s apparent indifference, she agrees to a plan that would restore her place in society but damage him. At a grand party meant to announce her engagement to Gus, Lily learns that Selden had not abandoned her after all. Moments later, she hears that he has died in a carriage accident, and the opera closes in tragedy.
Lily is suited for opera companies, university opera programs, and concert presentations interested in contemporary American opera with traditional dramatic scope, full orchestral color, lyrical arias, and a strongly narrative libretto.
Lily Blog. The blog Outward Sound published an article about Garth Baxter’s opera Lily, titled Finding Forgiveness Through Opera, Part 1. The article discusses how the opera, though set in the 19th century, examines its female protagonist through a contemporary lens.
This perspective highlights one of the opera’s central strengths: its ability to place a historically situated story in conversation with modern questions of identity, forgiveness, agency, and emotional truth. Through Lily, Baxter’s dramatic writing brings lyrical directness and contemporary sensitivity to a character whose struggles remain resonant for present-day audiences.
The article is a useful companion for listeners, performers, presenters, and opera companies interested in the dramatic and psychological dimensions of Lily. It can serve as supporting website content for those exploring the opera’s themes, its treatment of women’s experience, and its place within Baxter’s theatrical catalog.