By Samantha Lee, CHCP Member

CHCP and Christ Episcopal Church of Los Altos welcomed the forty-voice Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir and conductor and composer Eric Tuan to perform this seven-part choral opera, rooted in historical research and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, which swept the sanctuary back to the docks and redwoods of 1885 Humboldt County. The performance bridged eras, delving into belonging, solidarity, and the longing for inclusion. "Echoes of Eureka" tells the true story of “Charley” Wei Lum, an 18-year-old Chinese immigrant living in Eureka in the 1880s, when the Chinese community was thriving. As anti-Chinese sentiment grew in the West, fueled by economic concerns and scapegoating, Chinese workers in Humboldt County became vital to the logging, fishing, and farming industries. On February 6, 1885, everything changed. After a deadly conflict involving a City Councilman, a mob of over 600 people forced the entire Chinese community to leave. More than 300 fled to San Francisco, unable to return for decades. Charley escaped lynching with help from a caring clergyman. Those expelled faced hardship and new prejudice, and many descendants lost their Humboldt roots. Few returned, and Eureka’s once lively Chinatown faded away.

The choir navigated the opera’s demanding score with grace, animating history through song. The program continued with "Many Moons," a 21-minute film by Chisato Hughes, featuring haunting landscapes that evoke Eureka’s emotional and historical ghosts. Hughes, who grew up in Humboldt County, did not learn about the expulsions until adulthood and described her childhood as "the profound silence that comes from erasure." The film examines Charlie Moon, the "last Chinese Man of Humboldt County," and his descendants, who are connected to Indigenous tribes, exploring how kinship can endure even amid violence. Hughes asks an important question: Were there survivors? The children’s voices alongside the film’s quiet images prompted a strong conversation about loss and remembrance, answering poet Daryl Ngee Chinn’s question—"Does the land forget?"—with a clear "no."

After the show, CHCP hosted a post-show debrief in which Eric Tuan explained the responsibility for adapting Jean Pfaelzer’s book "Driven Out" for the stage. As the audience departed, the libretto’s final question—“When you carry it away into the world, who will you be?”—echoed in the air, urging each person to pause, reflect, and carry forward a deeper understanding and commitment to this shared past. While history risks fading into the pages of textbooks, the passion of young performers and the vision of filmmakers breathe new life into its stories. To discover upcoming performances, visit the choir’s website.

Listen to a short audio clip of the performance here.