Parable

Continued from page 17 have felt a warm kinship in the music that was decisive in keeping viewers in touch with the intricate unfolding of events, where the repetitive cry of “God is Change!” is heard.

There were moments that may have escaped even the most devoted readers of Butler's books. However, when the the choir swelled in voice and number at the end of the opera, the symphonic crew had accomplished what Butler had envisioned many years ago when she wrote: “So today, we remembered the friends and the family members we’ve lost. We spoke our individual memories and quoted Bible passages, Earthseed verses, and bits of songs and poems that were favorites of the living or the dead. Then we buried our dead and we planted our trees.

“Afterward, we sat together and talked and ate a meal and decided to call this place Acorn.”

Whether Earthseed or Acorn, the opera is a magnificent tribute to Butler and honors her vision in word, deed, and most memorably in song.