Vancouver Bach Choir: Mother/Land - Open Rehearsal

Step inside the creative process and experience a new Canadian opera in the making.

Join the Vancouver Bach Choir for a special Voices Free event featuring composer Jeffrey Ryan as he shares insights into Mother/Land, a powerful new opera-oratorio co-created with librettist Michael Lewis MacLennan.

Ahead of its world premiere on May 16th at the Vancouver Playhouse, this intimate evening offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at a major new work exploring themes of migration, displacement, love, and belonging.

Composer Talk: Jeffrey Ryan will discuss the inspiration behind Mother/Land, the collaboration with Michael Lewis MacLennan, and the musical language of this opera-oratorio that tells the ancient and yet contemporary story of Naomi and Ruth — a mother and daughter-in-law who escape war and famine only to face discrimination as they establish a new life for themselves.

Open Rehearsal: Experience live excerpts from Mother/Land as the Vancouver Bach Choir works through selected scenes, including Naomi's opening with the chorus and selections featuring baritone Luka Kawabata as Boaz. Witness the music coming to life in rehearsal — unpolished, intimate, and deeply human.

Mother/Land illuminates the story of Naomi and Ruth, two women who find strength in each other when every social structure has failed them. This opera-oratorio brings together Jeffrey Ryan's evocative score with Michael Lewis MacLennan's libretto to explore questions of the "other," community, determination, and what it means to make a home where you're not fully welcome.

World Premiere: May 16, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Vancouver Playhouse
Featuring soprano Heidi Duncan, mezzo-sopranos Krisztina Szabo and Simran Claire, and baritone Luka Kawabata
Tickets for the world premiere

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Host or Publisher Vancouver Opera