First produced at the Central City Opera House in 1956, The Ballad of Baby Doe is now widely considered a classic and is the second most produced American opera. In The Ballad of Baby Doe , Smith tells the tale of the complicated birth of this most American of operas. Inspired in 1953 by composer Douglas Moore’s interest in Horace Tabor’s story and funded by the Central City Opera House Association, the opera came together through a unique combination of hard work and serendipity. Smith relates how key people - including investors and historians in addition to creative talent - turned Moore’s idea into a reality and brought the story of the Tabors to millions of opera fans worldwide. In addition, Smith compares the opera’s libretto with historical reality, and the book even includes a chapter on the production written by John Moriarty, who conducted the opera in 1981, 1988, and 1996.