You may know her from the battle cry that caps “Defying Gravity” in Wicked. But Cynthia Erivo’s talents stretch far beyond the role of Elphaba and the world of Oz. On Saturday, the Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-winning performer will showcase those talents as she makes her Vancouver debut at the Freedom Mobile Arch, backed by 69 musicians from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. “People are coming for the star of Wicked. What they’ll get is a remarkable voice inside a full symphony orchestra, outdoors, in late August,” Adrian Fung, VSO’s senior vice-president of artistic and marketing, tells CTV News. He says the collaboration stemmed from the VSO’s relationship with the PNE and a shared goal of staging a major orchestral event for the Arch’s inaugural season. “Cynthia already tours an established symphonic program, so this is a real musical collaboration, not an orchestra parked behind a famous singer,” Fung explains. “She has enormous vocal power and a storyteller’s instinct for detail, and an orchestra can do both things her voice asks for: match her at full scale, and get quiet enough to follow her.” What audiences can expect Fung says the concert will feature two acts, each opened by the orchestra, including a medley from Jesus Christ Superstar—a musical Erivo has previously performed in. She played the titular role in a production last summer at the Hollywood Bowl and sang the role of Mary Magdalene for an all-female concept album in 2020. Her program at the Arch is expected to include Broadway tunes, as well as covers of songs by Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Prince. The concert is expected to run just shy of two hours. New venue, new challenges Because the orchestra is performing with a new artist in a new venue, Fung expects many people in the audience Saturday will be hearing the VSO live for the first time. A lot of advance work has been done to ensure that first impression is a good one, as the VSO navigates the challenges of performing in a massive outdoor venue. While the orchestra’s homebase, the Orpheum, seats about 2,600 people under a domed auditorium, the Arch can hold 9,000 people under a soaring 25-metre-high and 105-metre-wide mass timber roof. “Indoors, the hall itself creates the orchestra’s blend. Outdoors at this scale, the sound system becomes an extension of the orchestra, and the challenge is keeping every section clear while holding onto the warmth and immediacy of live players,” Fung says. The PNE says ticket sales have been strong, with only a limited number remaining. “We are thrilled with the response to this show and the excitement we’re seeing from audiences,” Patrick Roberge, the PNE’s creative director, tells CTV News. “There is something truly special about experiencing an artist of Cynthia’s calibre in an outdoor setting overlooking the North Shore mountains and Burrard Inlet. This is exactly the kind of special experience we envisioned for this brand-new venue.” Winning fans “For Good” With its 2026-27 season opening on Sept.18, the VSO hopes the concert at the Arch will serve as a gateway for new audiences. Fung says fans of Erivo and Wicked may enjoy the VSO’s Broadway Reimagined, Natural Woman: Sheléa Sings Aretha Franklin and Pops series. “We’re not trying to win someone for one night. We want them to feel the VSO is their orchestra, and to come back,” he explains.
