Marcos Galvez is one of the many performers and musicians in "The Watershed Rock Opera," a rock opera about the Columbia Gorge. He stars as the character of the wastewater wizard in one of the opera's movements, which he is shown in this photo rehearsing with other members of the production in Hood River on April 9, 2025.
Courtesy Kyle Ramey
When you think about the Columbia Gorge, a multimedia rock opera might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But that’s exactly the vehicle producer Sarah Fox chose to showcase the unique history, personal stories and ecology of the Gorge.
“The Watershed Rock Opera” unfolds in five movements that symbolize the cycle of the watershed itself. The journey starts in the clouds, descends into the Cascades and moves through a pear orchard before it ends in a kind of homecoming at the mighty river that connects the people and communities who call the Gorge home. (There’s also a comedic detour and duet prompted by a clogged toilet.)
Fox recorded interviews with five storytellers who provided the narration in the rock opera and inspired its musical score, which 20 local musicians and performers will bring to life this Friday for a series of sold-out shows at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. Fox joins us for more details, along with Lesley Tamura, a fourth-generation pear orchardist in Hood River, composer and arranger Eric Kaneda and music director and percussionist Leila Kaneda.
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