February

Composer: Laura Kaminsky
Librettist: Laura Kaminsky
Company: Opera on the Avalon

Synopsis

February is a powerful portrayal of the devastating impact of the sinking of the Ocean Ranger off the coast of Newfoundland on Valentine’s Day, 1982 — when all 84 lives on board were lost. Shifting between the past and present, we follow the fictional Helen O’Mara as she redefines herself, navigating the grief of widowhood and the struggles of motherhood; her son John, immersed in a career in the oil industry that killed his father, and his own ambivalence about becoming a father himself; and the shared, enduring grief of a community struck by tragedy. February addresses the continuing impact of the oil industry as we grapple with climate change. The work is an adaptation of the novel "February" by the author Lisa Moore.