Shadow Catch: Act I. Spirit of the Old Maple Tree (2011)
A collaborative chamber opera for five singers, picc/fl/alto fl., cello, and percussion
Duration: 25 minutes (Act I), 2 hours (complete opera)
Composers: Dorothy Chang (Act I), Benton Roark (Act II), Jennifer Butler (Act III), Farshid Samandari (Act IV).
Librettist: Daphne Marlatt. Commissioned by Vancouver Pro Musica.
Program note: Shadow Catch recounts the dreams of a young runaway newly arrived in the city of Vancouver. As the night progresses, he is visited in turn by the spirits of four troubled souls who once inhabited the area: the spirit of an old maple tree whose grove was decimated by loggers, a member of the brilliant Asahi baseball team whose players were sent off to Japanese internment camps, the madame of a 1920's brothel who is haunted by her tragic past, and a roughneck policeman from the 1930's who fell to corruption.
This is a story not only about characters from Vancouver's historical and cultural background, but about the journey and transformation that must take place in order to confront one's greatest fears and regrets.
For more information, please visit https://shadowcatch.blogspot.com/
