Ernie Lijoi (Music/Lyrics – MONSTERS!) is a fellow at the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop in New York, where he has been writing music and lyrics for various new works since 2001. An accomplished folk/rock guitarist and composer, he moved to New York from Boston four years ago to enroll in the program and try his hand at composing for the stage.

            Some of Ernie’s best work to date is showcased in the comic musical Monsters, a show written with librettist and longtime friend Gail Phaneuf.

            A Massachusetts native, Ernie made his debut in the music world as a solo performer in the Boston area, where he impressed crowds with his stirring guitar ballads and witty cabaret tunes. Since then, he has taken his guitar on the road to Chicago, San Francisco, Key West, Bonaire and Washington, D.C. He has cut three CDs of his original songs and was honored to be named Billboard Magazine’s “Unsigned Artist of the Year” for his second album, Bliss, in 2000. His third album, Better Days, also garnered generous praise with Billboard dubbing him a “bona fide star.”

            Ernie’s performing career started in high school, when he played guitar in several bands. In college, he discovered theater and began acting with the theater company at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Later, Ernie worked in theaters around New England, appearing in roles that included Billy in Anything Goes; Harold Hill in The Music Man; and Miles Glorious in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In his work as Miles, Ernie earned his Equity card at age 22.

A software engineer by day, Ernie spent the next decade composing in all of his spare time and began writing material for local cabaret artists. In 2001, a revue of his cabaret music was performed at the renowned Sculler’s Jazz Club in Cambridge. His signature song “Chandler Street” is the annual show closer at “Boston Sings Boston,” an event featuring new works. A number of Ernie’s cabaret, jazz, and pop songs have been recorded by other artists.

            After this third CD, Ernie moved to New York City, eager to combine his compositional experience with his passion for theater. He began writing and arranging music on the piano. And he was accepted to the BMI program in 2001, both as a composer and lyricist, and remains a member of the BMI’s advanced group. A song he wrote while under the BMI’s tutelage, “All I Want for Christmas,” was performed at Carnegie Hall in 2004. His songs have been sung by choruses and cabaret artists in Boston and New York.

            Ernie is presently involved in several theater projects. Among them is Very Confused People (Love is Hell), for which he is writing book, music and lyrics. A reading of this new piece is planned for spring 2007. He is also working on the book and lyrics to the show Under the Influence, with several composers; and he is a contributor to The Wedding Project, a musical with composer Barbara Anselmi at its helm.

            When not working on Monsters and other musicals, Ernie still performs as an actor/singer in theater pieces and travels to do solo shows with his guitar. In his down time, he is working on a collection of humorous autobiographical essays, titled Enlighten Up.