Kentucky Opera has announced that it has received a $60,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The grant will be used for the company’s 2025 production of Chandler Carter and Diana Solomon-Glover”s “This Little Light of Mine.”

The opera, which is inspired by the life of activist Fannie Lou Hamer, will star mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller (Fannie Lou Hamer), soprano Chabrelle Williams (Dorothy Jean Hamer), and soprano Brandi Diggs (June Johnson). It is set for performances on Feb. 21 and 23, 2025.

“We are deeply grateful to the NEA for its support of Kentucky Opera’s production  of this profound American opera. Mrs. Hamer’s story, and her use of song to elevate her message, reminds us all that our individual voices can inspire a movement, and paired with music, together we can change the course of history,” saidBarbara Lynne Jamison, Kentucky Opera’s General Director + CEO, in an official press release.

“This Little Light of Mine” was co-commissioned with Santa Fe Opera.