Born Birdie Solomon into a Jewish family in Harrisburg, Lewis was raised in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, where her father worked in the metal business.
She appeared in several more roles with the POC over the next three years, including Esmeralda in The Bartered Bride (1940), Minni in Die Fledermaus (1940), Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann (1941), the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier (1941[3]), a young girl in Spiel oder Ernst (1941), and Dorabella in Così fan tutte (1942).
[4] In May 1944 Lewis made her Manhattan, New York City, debut on Broadway with the New Opera Company as Hanna Glawari in Lehar's The Merry Widow opposite Jan Kiepura.
[6] In 1948 she returned to Broadway to portray the role of the Female Chorus in the United States premiere of Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.
She returned to Broadway twice more during her career, both in musicals: as Lotta Leslie in The Girl in Pink Tights (1954) with French ballet star Zizi Jeanmaire and soprano Marni Nixon[9] and as Mme.
[10] In late 1944/early 1945 Lewis performed the role of Saffi in The Gypsy Baron in the NYCO's United States tour which was the brain child of impresario Sol Hurok.
She made her Met debut on January 24, 1952, as Musetta in La bohème with Bidu Sayão as Mimi, Eugene Conley as Rodolfo, and Alberto Erede conducting.
She made several appearances at the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro during the 1940s and 1950s, including the roles of Venus, Musetta, Santuzza, Marguerite, Marina, and Donna Elvira.
[17] At the Vienna Volksoper she portrayed the title roles in the Austrian premieres of Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (1956) and Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun (1957).
[1] She sang several roles with the San Francisco Opera from 1950 to 1952, including Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro, Donna Elvira, Giorgetta in Il tabarro, The Marschallin, Musetta, and Salome.