Decoys: A Concert About Birds

🎟️ FREE — RSVP recommended (seating is limited) Date: June 27, 2025  Time: 7:30PM Location: Vancouver Opera - Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall, 1955 McLean Drive Vancouver, BC V5N 3J7  A song recital inspired by birds, birding, and the wild beauty that connects us all. Vancouver Opera artists Henry Chen and Heather Molloy team up with pianist Perri Lo to present Decoys—a concert where birds and music meet in unexpected ways. Combining art song and photography, this one-of-a-kind evening features vocal works inspired by birds—not just as creatures, but as metaphors for love, loss, joy, and flight. Alongside their voices, Chen and Molloy will share a slideshow of original bird photography from their own birdwatching adventures, inviting audiences into the skies, marshes, and forests they’ve come to cherish. 🍃 World premieres by Canadian composers Glenn Sutherland and Alfredo Santa Ana with text written by Colin Browne 🎶 Vocal works in English, German, and French 📸 Bird images from Metro Vancouver and beyond, presented with warmth and humour Why birds? The idea for this concert began with bird photos—shared between friends and colleagues, liked on social media, and followed by a conversation: what if we combined our two great loves—birding and music? Both Henry and Heather are passionate birders who see birdwatching as a practice of noticing and appreciating. For them, it’s less about gear and expertise, and more about presence. This concert is a reflection of that spirit: close observation, shared joy, and deep listening. What to expect:

  • A relaxed and intimate concert atmosphere

  • Live performances of evocative art songs about (and not about) birds

  • A visual journey through the birdlife of the Pacific Northwest and Taiwan

  • Moments of humour, insight, and wonder

  • A whole new way to think about birds—and about song