Arts grant allows the music department to host two one-act operas 

02/06/2026

By Brett Buckner  

As director of operatic activities at Jacksonville State University, Dr. Jeff Kensmoe concedes that operas can be intimidating for newcomers. When he and co-principal investigator Dr. Renee Baptiste were awarded a $7,500 grant from the Alabama State Council of the Arts, they intentionally selected a pair of one-act operas by American composers designed to be accessible to all audiences. 

“We wanted something people would be curious to see,” Dr. Kensmoe said. “I think these will both serve as good introductions to opera.” 

The David L. Walters Department of Music will host performances of Douglas Moore’s Gallantry and Stanley Hollingsworth’s The Mother. The one-act operas are in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Performances will be held from Feb. 19 -22 in Ward Theatre at The Ernest Stone Performing Arts Center.  Tickets can be purchased online."  

“I thought it was a good opportunity to offer some American operas, especially for the kids,” Dr. Kensmoe said, “I like giving them as many unique opportunities as possible. With these one-act operas, there's no chorus, but there are some good roles for each student. It's pretty exciting.” 

The operas highlight contrasting perspectives on love by American composers. Moore’s Gallantry explores romantic love, while Hollingsworth’s The Mother examines the love between a mother and her child. Written as a parody of soap operas – complete with commercials - Gallantry is the more comedic of the two, while The Mother is a fantastical drama.  

“It’s a ‘soap opera’ opera,” Dr. Kensmoe said. “It’s a rather silly, over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek performance that pokes fun at the genre of soap operas and the commercials of the era. It's got a lot of humor, complete with a crazy love triangle.” 

Although the plot for Gallantry is funny, the effort put forth by the performers is anything but. 

“The actors have to be willing to take some chances in the silliness of the opera,” Dr. Kensmoe said. “We have to be serious when it comes to the work. They’re putting it all out there to hit those specific notes, pitches, and rhythms we want.”  

Hollingsworth’s The Mother, which is based on a Hans Christian Anderson short story, takes place in a dream state and tells of a mother attempting to rescue her sick child from the clutches of Death.  

“The mother goes on a journey to find her child and along the way runs into various allegorical characters,” Dr. Kensmoe said. “Death is a very empathetic character, just doing the work of God. It's a beautiful little piece.” 

The Mother offers a variety of vocal ranges for its cast. 

“It covers a spectrum of the different voice types,” Dr. Kensmoe said. “So, it gives those students of different voice types an opportunity to do some work on stage in an important role. That’s what’s exciting about casting these types of shows, getting the students in the right spot for their personality and voice type to really shine.”  

One of the most difficult aspects of mounting theatrical productions – operatic or otherwise - is cost. For these performances, the primary expense is hiring professional string players, which is where much of the $7,500 grant funding is being directed.  

“There’s a high degree of difficulty with these two pieces,” Dr. Kensmoe said, “so, hiring a few extra string players will help make this a special performance."