“Smoky Mountain” and the Legacy of Eusebia Hunkins

Eusebia Simpson Hunkins, (June 20, 1902 - September 9, 1980) widely known as a composer of folk opera, was an American composer who wrote over 50 works. She studied piano and music theory through a fellowship at the Juilliard School and later studied composition at the Aspen Music Festival, at Tanglewood and in Salzburg, Austria. After finishing her education, Hunkins worked in New York City where she composed, taught, and conducted choral groups. She and her husband later moved to Athens, Ohio in 1946 where she continued to compose. Hunkins was a dedicated advocate for music education, and cofounded the Opera for Youth Project, served as the founder and past president of the Hocking Valley Arts Council, as well as a member of the National Federation of Music (Royster, Profiles of Ohio Women, 1803-2003). In 1981 she was posthumously inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame for her contributions and advocacy of the arts in the state of Ohio (“Eusebia Hunkins”). Her works include compositions for violin, flute, cello, woodwind quintet, string quintet, string orchestra, liturgical drama, ballet, folk and children’s operas, songs, and choral pieces. 

Hunkins was interested and began researching Appalachian folk music after moving to Ohio, which inspired her to write her folk opera, Smoky Mountain. The work was published in 1954 by Carl Fischer, and was performed more than 4,000 times, making Hunkins one of Ohio’s most frequently performed composers from this period (“Eusebia Hunkins”). Smoky Mountain premiered in 1951 at the Ohio University’s Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium as a fundraiser for the proposed John Calhoun Baker University Center. The premiere was considered a success with Wilmington College’s music director, David Larsen, who stated, “the audience joined in with the cast at various points in the show, clocking rhythm for square dances, singing ‘She’ll be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,’ and humming along on many other familiar tunes” (“Opera Opens Folk Festival at College”). The opera includes twenty folk songs and ballads from the United States interspersed with folk and square dancing (“Bloomingburg Youth in Ohio”). It is relatively short in length, has approachable vocal and instrumental parts, and was performed primarily with high school to college-age groups. 

I was able to view pictures from the University of Arkansas Special Collections archive of rehearsals and performances of Smoky Mountain when it was being performed in 1956 at Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was also performed in 1957, 1960, and 1963 at this same venue, underscoring its repeated appeal and relevance. Pictures of the rehearsals include young people gathered around a piano or paired off to practice their square dancing with views of the scenic Ozark mountains in the background.

Photograph of a group performing a square dance routine for "Smoky Mountain." (MC 1949), box 33, folder 12, photograph number 668. Special Collections, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Photograph of members waiting for their cue at "Smoky Mountain" rehearsal. (MC 1949), box 33, folder 12, photograph number 661. Special Collections, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

Performances of the opera showed men in overalls and cowboy hats and women in bonnets and dresses with a simple backdrop of painted trees and rolling hills on the stage.

Photograph of a performance of "Smoky Mountain." (MC 1949), box 33, folder 12, photograph number 665. Special Collections, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

The 1956 productions at Opera in the Ozarks included not only Hunkins’ Smoky Mountain, but also Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne and Così fan tutte, and Gian Carlo Menotti’s, The Medium (“Thrills and Chills in the Ozarks”). There are countless performances and recordings of these works by Mozart and Menotti, whose works remain deeply popular and frequently produced today, while Hunkins’ opera has, unfortunately, faded into obscurity. 

I found no video or audio recordings of Smoky Mountain and there are not many recordings of Hunkins’ works as a whole. Despite its popularity and frequent performances, Smoky Mountain remains woefully under-documented, with no performances in recent decades. More recognition should be given for Hunkins’ careful research and integration of Appalachian folk songs and stories in Smoky Mountain. As The Journal of American Folklore reviewed it, this “simple, unpretentious ‘informal folk opera,’” with highly flexible vocal and instrumental parts, offers a rare opportunity to highlight young voices to an enterprising company (Haywood and Hunkins, “Smoky Mountain. American Folk Opera”). This beloved and highly performed American opera should be rediscovered, revived, and brought back to the stage. As the character, Grandpa, says, “...us Smoky Mountain Singers kin holler jest as loud an’ kick our hells jest as high as they kin. Whuts more, we aim to hev a heck of a lot o’ fun doin’ it” (Hunkins, Smoky Mountain: American Folk Opera).

A recording of Hunkins’ choral arrangement of the Flemish folk song, “Rosa.”

Bibliography

Newspapers.com. “Bloomingburg Youth in Ohio.” February 18, 1952. https://www.newspapers.com/article/record-herald/12152246/. 

Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. “Eusebia Hunkins.” Accessed August 1, 2025. https://www.ohiohistory.org/research/archives-library/state-archives/ohio-womens-hall-of-fame/#eusebiahunkins.

Haywood, Charles. “Smoky Mountain. American Folk Opera.” Journal of American Folklore 70, no. 275 (January 1, 1957): 85–86. https://doi.org/10.2307/536513. 

Hunkins, Eusebia. Smoky Mountain: American Folk Opera. Carl Fischer, 1954. 

Newspapers.com. “Opera Opens Folk Festival at College.” March 6, 1954. https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal/12152739/. 

Royster, Jacqueline Jones. Profiles of Ohio Women, 1803-2003. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2003.

Opera News. “Thrills and Chills in the Ozarks,” November 19, 1956.