Before the audience ever sees a stage, before the lights rise or the orchestra breathes its first note, there is the quiet labor of those who build the world in which the story will unfold.

For Lelia Barton Chamberlain, that journey began humbly — not as a designer, but as an eager apprentice within the costume department of Washington Opera. There she learned the language of fabric, construction, and collaboration under the guidance of master designer Zach Brown and alongside a company of skilled artisans who defined excellence in American opera.

Those early years were her apprenticeship in every sense. As Lelia herself describes it, she was the “chief jar-and-bottle washer,” working behind the scenes in service of the craft she loved. But in that environment she absorbed lessons that would shape her life’s work: patience, proportion, respect for history, and the understanding that a costume must serve both the performer and the story.

Her exposure during that time to visionary figures such as Ming Cho Lee and Joseph Citarella left a lasting impression. Watching their creative processes — the way they shaped light, color, and texture to build emotion — ignited in her a lifelong fascination with how design can transform a performance.

As her skills and confidence deepened, Lelia began contributing to productions across the country. Her later work with companies including Pittsburgh Opera, Buffalo Opera Unlimited, Opera Grand Rapids, and Syracuse Opera reflected the maturity of an artist who had learned through observation and relentless refinement. Her costumes became known for their historical fidelity, adaptability, and unmistakable sense of grace.

Her own studio would eventually become what her mentors’ workshops had once been for her — a place of mentorship, experimentation, and devotion to craft. Apprentices who trained under her often describe not only learning technique but inheriting a philosophy: that humility and precision are the twin foundations of lasting artistry.

Today, the influence of those early mentors endures in every stitch that bears her name. Casta Diva Stitch to Stage carries forward the discipline, creativity, and reverence for performance that she first discovered all those years ago — proof that the seeds planted in the wings of Washington Opera have blossomed into a legacy that continues to shape stages nationwide.