The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University has commissioned a new mainstage opera thanks to a major financial commitment by David and Susan Lummis in memory of their daughter Adelaide Emily Lummis.

The opera, which will be 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 during the 2029–30 academic year with workshops beginning in 2028–29.

This commission will give Shepherd School of Music students a complete hands-on experience in bringing an opera to life, from early readings to fully staged performances.

Lummis was born in Houston and trained as an actor at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, graduating in 2015 and 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. During her final months, Lummis 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.

In a statement David Lummis said, “Adelaide loved Russian drama, literature, and culture her entire life. Given how things played out, her fascination with the doomed Romanov family is especially poignant. Susan and I are so honored to assist this amazing creative team in bringing this project to life in memory of our wonderful daughter.”

Paola Prestini said, “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. Collaborating with Mark Campbell to bring the Lummis’s 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.”

Mark Campbell added, “The Shepherd School of Music’s investment in new work and its ascension in the opera community takes a big leap forward in this exciting new commission. I’m honored to be a part of it and am greatly looking forward to collaborating with Paola Prestini again. Our opera about the Duchess Tatiana will offer a moving portrait of a young woman who could not escape the fate she was born into as a daughter of the last tsar of Russia.”