UK Opera Theatre series celebrates American stories, voices, artistry

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 20, 2025) — For many people opera suggests romantic stories sung in Italian, hours long epic tales of Norse mythology by Wagner or the shorter, farcical works of Gilbert and Sullivan. University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, though, is putting a spotlight on opera by living American composers and librettists that elevates stories that are uniquely American.

In March, UK Opera Theatre presented the first work in a multiyear series it’s calling “American Stories.” The opera, “Sanctuary Road,” was inspired by the writings of William Still, known as the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” Among the stories in the opera was one of William Still’s brother, Peter Still, who was sold into slavery in Lexington, giving the first of this opera series a distinct tie to Kentucky.

The idea of presenting “American Stories” is one that UK Opera Theatre Director Everett McCorvey, D.M.A., has been nurturing since he since he became director in 1997. McCorvey said he was inspired by the on-campus presence of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music, which is in UK’s Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library.

As an undergraduate music student, McCorvey performed songs by Niles, a composer and collector of American folk music, and remembered being influenced by Niles’ work. As director of the opera theatre program, McCorvey said it became clear that American music should be part of the opera program.

“There’s a move throughout the opera industry to tell more American stories, and I was thinking about how to create a series around that,” McCorvey said. “Especially with what’s going on in our world, we need to find ways to tell our American stories in a way that celebrates the accomplishment of so many people who helped make our country what it is.”

The next opera in the “American Stories” series, which will be part of UK Opera Theatre’s 2025-26 season, is “A Nation of Others,” a story of immigrants who came to the United States through Ellis Island.

As an art form so steeped in European tradition, contemporary opera — particularly by American composers — is attempting to gain footing among audiences that are accustomed to performances of tried-and-true works by composers like Mozart, Wagner and Rossini.

“Opera, in this country, is struggling to find ways to continue to survive, and to continue to be relevant,” he said. “There are some operas we’ve been presenting for centuries — and successfully — but people want to hear new works.”

The “American Stories” series, McCorvey said, is a good opportunity not only to present newer works to American audiences, but also to expose college students on track for performance careers to modern work that will add to their collective portfolios. And because newer operas, at the beginning of their distribution, haven’t been performed much, the list of musicians who have performed the roles is not long.

“For example, for the role of William Still in ‘Sanctuary Road’ there are maybe only three people in the whole country that know the role,” McCorvey said. “If an opera company is going to do that production, they are going to probably call on one of the three people that know it.

“That’s the idea of how to grow the repertory and grow the opportunities for our students.”

Both “Sanctuary Road” and “A Nation of Others” are the collaborative work of composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell. Because both of those people are still alive, students can talk to them. Moravec and Campbell were present for the four UK Opera Theatre productions of “Sanctuary Road” in March. McCorvey said one of the students performing in the opera emailed Campbell a question about a phrase in one of the songs. The student’s own research revealed a fact that differed from the lyric presented in the libretto.

“Mark was saying he was so excited to be able to talk to the student and refer the student to the correct information about that particular subject,” McCorvey said. “That’s one of the beautiful things about working with living composers and librettists. Being in the same room with them is not something that can be done often, so the experience is worth its weight in gold.”

Campbell said he and Moravec were excited at the prospect of working with UK Opera Theatre.

“Everett McCorvey is a great artist and educator,” Campbell said. “He understands the importance of producing new work, to not only keep the repertory alive, but also to help the students understand that music is a living thing and can address issues (the students) face in the world today.”

“In my happy collaboration with the UK Opera Theatre students so far, I have already learned a lot,” Moravec said. “The experience has been immensely gratifying for me. We are collaborating in the creation of something entirely new, and the students’ fresh, enthusiastic performances and advice are invaluable.

“This experience will undoubtedly develop and deepen as we move forward.”