ADAMS, Mass.—Composer, saxophonist and singer Stephanie Chou is bringing her 80-minute concert piece/chamber opera, "Comfort Girl" to the Adams Theater on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m.

It's a work inspired by the true stories of Asian "comfort women" abducted into sexual slavery by the Japanese Army during World War II. 

Tickets are available here or at the box office on the day of the show (availability is limited). 

Chou, a Chinese American who grew up in New York, discovered the story of comfort women in her 20s, and was surprised that it wasn't more widely known. "People didn't talk about this for 50 years," she said. "I wanted to spread awareness about this topic." 

Based on survivor testimony, the jazz-opera/song-cycle gives voice to 200,000+ women and survivors who were silenced for 50 years. It centers around protagonist Lian, with singers that perform as soldiers, her fiance, and other characters key to understanding the history. It's not quite a staged show–more a concert, Chou said–and includes lots of historical context, including projections and a narrator who helps keep a throughline. 

To create this work, Chou spent time researching and reading deeply about comfort women and their experiences during and after the war. She also traveled to Shanghai to meet with lead researchers on the topic who have interviewed many survivors and their families.

"There aren't a lot of artistic pieces about this topic out there that aren't documentary-based," she said. 

Chou has also assembled a wealth of additional information on her site for those wishing to learn more, and she'll be presenting a workshop at MCLA (with the narrator's role played by Western Mass-based Zoe Laiz) during her time in the area. 

"I have had many audience members come to me crying and tell me they were moved by this piece," Chou said. "When I wrote it, I had never done anything like it before. It feels incredibly rewarding to hear such a strong audience response, and inspires me to continue to tell this story." 

"Comfort Girl" will also be presented at Smith College on Saturday, September 21, and Sunday, September 22, and a recorded album of the piece will be released in early 2025.

Musical Cast

Stephanie Chou - voice, alto saxophone, compositions

Lito Villareal - voice

Andy Lin - erhu, viola, violin

Angelina Ai - piano

Ike Sturm - bass

Ronen Itzik - drums, percussion

Reserve tickets at www.adamstheater.org/present.