Elke Porter | Westcoast German News Media & WBN News Journalist | May 1, 2025
Artistic Director Gordon Gerrard is poised to lead one of COV’s most ambitious productions yet: the Canadian premiere of Sophia’s Forest, by composer Lembit Beecher and celebrated Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch. Running May 29–31, 2025 at 7:30pm and June 1 at 2pm at Studio T (SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts), the one-act chamber opera explores the emotional landscape of a young girl, Sophia, as she adapts to a new life after fleeing civil war.
Born and raised in the small town of Morden, Manitoba, Gordon Gerrard’s journey from prairie boy to Artistic Director of City Opera Vancouver (COV) unfolds like an operatic tale—rich with determination, heart, and a deep love of music. While his early years were spent more on the hockey rink than at the piano bench, it wasn’t long before he discovered his true passion. He eventually traded in his skates and life on the family farm for sheet music, pursuing advanced musical studies in Montreal and New York.
With a natural ear and insatiable curiosity, Gerrard pursued studies in music at the University of Manitoba before further honing his craft at McGill University and the Manhattan School of Music. His deep musicality, paired with a clear artistic vision, led him to conducting engagements with major opera companies and symphonies across North America. But it’s his return to the Canadian West Coast, at the helm of City Opera Vancouver, that marks a thrilling new chapter.
Now, Gerrard is poised to lead one of COV’s most ambitious productions yet: the Canadian premiere of Sophia’s Forest, by composer Lembit Beecher and celebrated Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch. Running May 29–31, 2025 at 7:30pm and June 1 at 2pm at Studio T (SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts), the one-act chamber opera explores the emotional landscape of a young girl, Sophia, as she adapts to a new life after fleeing civil war.
A story of trauma, memory, and resilience, Sophia’s Forest is brought vividly to life with live performance, evocative projections, and mechanical sound sculptures that blur the line between music and memory.
“This is more than an opera—it’s an experience,” Gerrard notes. “Sophia’s Forest invites us to listen differently, to consider the personal stories hidden within the global headlines, and to recognize the transformative power of art.”
These themes are heartbreakingly relevant today, as conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and other regions continue to uproot millions. The image of a child like Sophia fleeing into the forest is not confined to history or fiction—it is a reality for many in our world right now. Forests, fields, and borderlands have become places of refuge, hiding, and desperate hope for safety.
Sophia’s Forest reminds us that behind every statistic is a human being with a story: a girl searching for shelter, a family trying to rebuild, a community holding onto fragments of normalcy. In shining a light on these journeys, the opera becomes not just a work of art, but a call for empathy, awareness, and understanding in a world still shaped by displacement and survival.
The premiere is part of COV’s new multi-year initiative to spotlight the experiences of newcomers to Canada, reflecting the country’s cultural richness through contemporary opera. As conductor and artistic leader, Gerrard’s guiding hand ensures this important work is not only musically profound but emotionally resonant.
For Gerrard, it’s not just about breaking new ground—it’s about building bridges. And from Morden to Vancouver, his story is a powerful reminder of where passion, talent, and vision can lead.
Stay tuned for our full interview with Gordon Gerrard, coming soon on Westcoast German News. Exciting stories like being in New York just before 9/11. Or spending time in Germany in the summer of 2016, bringing his artistry to the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg festival in Germany, leading a production of Puccini’s Tosca in the historic open-air Heckentheater. Even who is favourite composer is!
For tickets and information, visit: cityoperavancouver.com
City Opera Vancouver (cityoperavancouver.com)
Founded in 2006, City Opera Vancouver is a professional company that commissions, creates, re-discovers and presents chamber opera. The company specializes in small forms, intimate eloquence, Canadian themes and artists, and through music tells memorably bold, vivid stories that are relevant to our time and people. City Opera regularly commissions and premieres new Canadian chamber opera, including Fallujah (2012), Pauline (2014), Missing (2017) and Chinatown (2022). In 2014, City Opera commissioned and gave the world premiere of Margaret Atwood’s first opera, Pauline, with music by Tobin Stokes. In 2017, City Opera commissioned and produced, in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, the world premiere of Marie Clements’ and Brian Current’s opera Missing. It has since had 22 performances in Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, and Regina. The company is a registered non-profit society with federal tax status, governed by an elected Board of Directors. City Opera is a member of the Association for Opera in Canada, and Opera America, and is also a Community Partner of the Canadian Music Centre.
Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp: +1 604 828 8788
Canadian Opera #City Opera Vancouver #Sophias Forest #Gordon Gerrard #Newcomer Stories #Modern Opera #WBN News Vancouver #Elke Porter
Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp: +1 604 828 8788
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