UK Opera Theatre Rappahannock County
The University of Kentucky Opera Theatre will continue its “Telling America’s Stories” series with a powerful Civil War-era song cycle, “Rappahannock County,” opening the 2026-27 season October 16-19 at the Lexington Opera House.
With a libretto by Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Campbell and music by Ricky Ian Gordon, “Rappahannock County” is a theatrical song cycle that premiered in 2011 and explores the impact of the Civil War on Virginians. Inspired by diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts, the work traces the years 1861-1865 through five chapters that illuminate the cost of the conflict. The production is a multi-media event, enhanced by historical visual projections and features five singers performing more than 30 roles.
Sung in English with English supertitles, the production runs approximately 85 minutes.
Ricky Ian Gordon is the composer of “Orpheus & Euridice” and the opera “The Grapes of Wrath.” Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winner Mark Campbell has created 45 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals, and the text for 12 song cycles and 7 oratorios. His works include Silent Night, A Nation of Others, and Sanctuary Road, all of which have been presented by UK Opera Theatre.
Published by Theodore Presser Company, “Rappahannock County” is presented as part of UK Opera Theatre’s "Telling America’s Stories” initiative, which highlights overlooked or underrepresented narratives in American history through operatic repertoire. The series began with the spring 2025 production of “Sanctuary Road” and continued in spring 2026 with “A Nation of Others.”
