ECU debuts world premiere opera, builds community connections to performance
Audience members will laugh, cry and likely experience myriad other feelings as they follow the emotional story of Mattie in this weekend’s world premiere of “Gal Young ’Un,” from East Carolina University’s Opera Theater in the School of Music.
Dr. Jami Rhodes-Galloway, chair of ECU vocal studies, stars as Mattie, supported by a cast and orchestra of undergraduate and graduate students and special guests.
Performances of “Gal Young ’Un” are April 4-6 at the Farmville Community Art Council’s Paramount Theater, 3723 N. Main St. in Farmville, at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors, faculty, and staff, and $5 for students with ID.
The opera caps a long career for composer and ECU music composition professor Mark Alan Taggart, who will retire this year after nearly 40 serving ECU. Librettist Ann McCutchan rounds out the “Gal Young ’Un” creative team.
Opera combines what Taggart loves about music: dance, storytelling, art, and the music itself.
“My goal is to change you as a human being,” Taggart said. “Not everybody likes opera, and that’s OK. I love it. There are stories you can tell.”
Music graduate student Koby Gallman sings as bootlegger Trax in the early scenes of ECU Opera Theater’s production “Gal Young ’Un.”
The story of “Gal Young ’Un” happens in the backwoods of north Florida. Trax is a handsome bootlegger who charms Mattie, a solitary widow of means, into marriage. He cons her into building a still on her property and turns her house into a watering hole for his pals. Trax proves to be a cheat and philanderer, one day bringing home teenager Elly — the gal young ’un — to live with him and Mattie. Furious, Mattie scorns Elly until she realizes the girl was exploited, just as she was. Emboldened by righteous anger, Mattie takes action, and experiences true redemption in the process.
Performing an opera composed right here at ECU easily allows Taggart to stay involved, and he does. He was there for a unique day that resulted in the film shown during the full production, and attended rehearsals, following along in his score. During one rehearsal, he joined the cast on stage to discuss an originally high note that Rhodes-Galloway wanted to change.
“That’s great,” he said, turning to the cast as a whole. “I am so blown away like you wouldn’t believe. You all are sounding fantastic.”
Extra excitement surrounds “Gal Young ’Un” because it is a new opera. It is based on the 1932 short story by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, set during Prohibition.
“It’s very exciting because you are creating the character,” said Ashley Leparik, who performs as Mattie in the outreach cast, bringing scenes from the show to the community ahead of opening night. “There’s a good amount of pressure, but it’s more fun.”
Rhodes-Galloway called it a “gift you don’t get very often” to create the characters, and perform in something new.
“To be part of the early process of something new and talk about the text with [McCutchan], and make sure the 2025 audience resonates with a character gullible in the beginning, but strong in the end,” is part of that gift, she said.
Leparik, a vocal performance junior, and the rest of the outreach cast promoted interest in the full show — and opera generally — for students, seniors and others in the community. The outreach cast also performed scenes on campus this week, and joins the ensemble for the full production this weekend.
Dr. Jami Rhodes-Galloway sings as Mattie during a rehearsal for ECU Opera Theater’s “Gal Young ’Un,” presenting a shopping list to Willie Blaine, played by student Stephen Peo.
This is Leparik’s first big role at ECU, and she said those who see the outreach cast get a good introduction to opera.
“It’s a good way to recruit, and a good way to keep opera alive,” she said. “[‘Gal Young ’Un] is going to be an exciting one; there are plot twists you wouldn’t expect, and the lead is a strong female character, which is atypical.”
The film shown later in the opera is evidence of both, and a first for Shirley. In a collaboration he hopes will happen again in the future, film and video production associate professor Erick Yates Green spent a day with Shirley, Rhodes-Galloway and others filming some particularly exciting parts of a scene. This is also Shirley’s first time working with ECU Director of Bands William Staub as the opera’s music director.
“There’s newness everywhere in this production,” Shirley said. “It has been a pleasure every moment to work across the typical silos within our institution and forge these connections.”
Making connections is also why ECU Opera Theater takes its shows to venues off campus and beyond Greenville. Shirley said this goes hand in hand with the outreach cast performances, and remembers such outreach as part of his own training as a singer.
“The greater intent was just to share how special opera is, and how accessible it is and can be with people who are willing to receive that,” he said. “As a singer and director, I really value that, to connect with our audiences in a personal way.”
While the cast had to adopt a Southern accent for the performance, this opera is sung in English. Leparik said a misconception of opera is that it’s hard to follow. Even when not sung in English, operas often give historical context and a synopsis in a playbill, or show subtitles; “Gal Young ’Un attendees will find a synopsis in the program.
Shirley said the audience doesn’t have to understand everything happening during an opera, but should be open to it. He recommends people take the first step and see an opera like “Gal Young ’Un,” a piece with a compelling message.
“Once you see something like this, you’re going to want to come back and see what opera is like,” he said. “Nobody goes to the opera once; you just have to try it out.
“I promise it’s going to compel you.”