Opera-Oratorio in one act
Roles
Naomi (Mezzosoprano Gb3-Ab5)
Ruth (Soprano Ab3[ossia Bb3]-B5)
Orpah (Soprano or Mezzosoprano Db4-F5; Scenes 1-3 only)
Boaz (Baritone G2-F#4; Scenes 5-9 only)
Instrumentation SATB choir; wind quintet (fl/ob/cl/bn/hn); string quintet (vnI/vnII/va/vc/cb); percussion; positive/chamber organ (or electronic keyboard equivalent)
Percussion requirements one player: snare drum, two tom-toms (med/low), bass drum, triangle, suspended cymbal, brake drum, tam-tam, whip, med. wood block, wooden board, two drinking cups
Timing 75′ in nine scenes
Composed 2025
Libretto by Michael Lewis MacLennan inspired by The Book of Ruth
Commission/Development Partners Vancouver Bach Choir; Tapestry New Opera; Wilfrid Laurier University Opera School (Kimberly Barber, director); Wayne Strongman; Robert Richardson
World Premiere May 16, 2026, Vancouver Playhouse, Vancouver, British Columbia. Heidi Duncan, soprano; Krisztina Szabó, mezzosoprano; Simran Claire, mezzosoprano; Luka Kawabata, baritone; Vancouver Bach Choir; Turning Point Ensemble; Leslie Dala, conductor
Programme Notes
In the operatic tradition of using an old story to comment on a contemporary issue, Mother/Land is a one-act chamber opera-oratorio based on the Old Testament Book of Ruth, a fictional secular story originally written as a lesson in welcoming and embracing “The Other.” Then, as now, immigrants and refugees often struggle to find their place in their new country, and are frequently targets for discrimination, racism, and violence.
Ruth, a young widow with a bleak future in a land wracked by famine and war, escapes to her mother-in-law Naomi’s homeland in search of a better life. But Naomi is also a widow—a woman with no resources. Ruth, as a refugee, fares even worse: she is “The Other” ethnically and societally. As an outsider, she faces discrimination by the people around her. She must take the most menial of jobs to eke out a living. She is forced to find food by gleaning the leftover barley in the harvested fields, while facing harassment by the harvesters. But Ruth also comes under the eye of the landowner Boaz who sees her devotion and determination—though, struggling against constant ostracism, she is unsure she can trust him. The story of Mother/Land unfolds both as Ruth’s courageous journey to establish a life for herself and Naomi in her new land, and as a meditation on love: that between Ruth and Naomi, between Ruth and Boaz, and between a community and the newly-arrived stranger.
PDF perusal score
Coming soon!
Get music
Store coming soon. In the meantime, please contact me.