The work uses an English language libretto by Leonard Foglia which is based on a 1980 play by Horton Foote.
[1] Set in Egypt, Texas, the work tells the story of Myrtle Bledsoe, an embittered 90-year-old woman who sifts through the memories of her past in a quest for self-forgiveness.
[2] A Coffin in Egypt was jointly commissioned by the HGO, Opera Philadelphia, and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
While the work includes a cast of nine, it is essentially a monodrama in that the heroine is the only role with a substantial amount of singing.
[2] Von Stade reprised the role of Myrtle for performances in Philadelphia in June 2014 and with the Chicago Opera Theater in April 2015.