By Tabitha Brasso-Ernst for Bachstage Pass

On May 16th, the Vancouver Playhouse was full and buzzing as the world premiere of Mother/Land, a new Canadian opera-oratorio by composer Jeffrey Ryan and playwright Michael Lewis MacLennan, unfolded. Part of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Day of Music, the performance featured the Vancouver Bach Choir under Leslie Dala’s direction, alongside four soloists and a chamber ensemble. Ryan and MacLennan took a bow to an almost-instant standing ovation.

Mother/Land conductor Leslie Dala, librettist Michael Lewis MacLennan, and composer Jeffrey Ryan. Photo courtesy of Diamond’s Edge Photography.

The collaboration between Ryan and MacLennan is deeply integrated — not a division of labour, but a shared conversation about story, structure, and sound. Workshops on the text and emerging scenes shaped the final fully orchestrated work.

Mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó as Naomi and Maestro Leslie Dala. Photo courtesy of Diamond’s Edge Photography.

Drawn from the Book of Ruth, Mother/Land centers on chesed — loving-kindness. The opera traces how this quality expands across its cast: Ruth’s loyalty to Naomi, Boaz’s protection of Ruth, and ultimately the community’s movement from xenophobic violence to compassion. MacLennan grounds the story in the time of the judges — a period of disunity that, he notes dryly, “sounds woefully familiar.”

Baritone Luka Kawabata as Boaz. Photo courtesy of Diamond’s Edge Photography.

The soloists brought remarkable range: mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó as Naomi, soprano Heidi Duncan as Ruth, mezzo-soprano Simran Claire as Orpah, and baritone Luka Kawabata as Boaz. Leslie Dala, in his sixteenth season with the Vancouver Bach Choir, conducted a work that exemplifies his commitment to new Canadian music.

Mezzo-soprano Simran Claire as Orpah and soprano Heidi Duncan as Ruth. Photo courtesy of Diamond’s Edge Photography.

For Ryan, a Vancouver resident of over twenty years, the premiere represented home. “People love to come out to support Les and the Bach Choir,” he said. “It seemed like a perfect collaboration.”

Pianist Tina Chang, Mark Takeshi McGregor, and the Vancouver Bach Choir. Photo courtesy of Diamond’s Edge Photography.