Canadian countertenor Daniel Cabena and a consort of four viol da gambas join us for ‘Of Countertenors and Consorts’ at wbf2024!
March 22, 2024
The 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival begins on April 14th at 3 PM at the Crescent Arts Centre with our concert, Of Countertenors and Consorts. Curated by John Wiens, co-conducted by the dynamic duo of Andrew Balfour and Mel Braun, and featuring top Canadian countertenor Daniel Cabena and the Cardinal Consort of Viols, a consort of four viol da gambas, we will present works from the Elizabethan Renaissance alongside new works by Juno nominee Andrew Balfour and Carmen Braden.
CONCERT SPONSORS: Drs. Bill Pope and Elizabeth Tippett Pope
About Daniel Cabena Daniel Cabena sings, plays, writes, and teaches. He is also a curator of texts and music, and with Luke Hathaway he shares the artistic direction of ANIMA Early Music. Together they program concerts, commission new works of text and music, and create new works for the ear and for the stage.
To his work of curation and creation, Daniel brings a background in early music and liturgical music scholarship; an interest in how music functions in different performance contexts and traditions; and a curiosity about the ‘why’ of music, as well as its ‘how’.
Daniel teaches singing and historically-inspired performance at the Laurier Academy of Music & Arts (LAMA), where he also leads the Community Consort, a multi-instrumental, multidisciplinary community of practice and inquiry.
Daniel’s music-making and teaching are informed by the Alexander Technique, in which field he is a teacher. He also makes music with his hands, playing modern and Baroque violin, as well as vièle, viola da gamba, and recorders.
Daniel holds an Honours Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Doctorate of Music from l’Université de Montréal. He is a past recipient of the Bernard Diamant and Virginia Parker Prizes from the Canada Council for the Arts, and he holds a Master in Specialized Early Music Performance from the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland.
Cardinal Consort of Viols — Linda Deshman, tenor viol; Sheila Smyth, treble viol; Sara Blake, bass viol; Valerie Sylvester, bass viol
About the Cardinal Consort of Viols For well over a decade, the Cardinal Consort of Viols has been bringing exquisite music of the 16th and 17th centuries to Southern Ontario audiences, performed on the type of instrument for which it was written, the viola da gamba.
The consort has presented its own annual Thanksgiving Eve concerts and has been hosted by several concert series including Conrad Grebel’s (University of Waterloo), Music Mondays, Toronto Early Music Centre’s Musically Speaking, and the concert series of the Associates of the Toronto Symphony. Cardinal Consort has also performed with several choirs, among them the Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers, Toronto Chamber Choir, and Tallis Choir. The consort has twice been the guest ensemble of the Toronto Continuo Collective and has also given many popular and engaging performances and demonstrations at the Toronto Early Music Fair. Recent Cardinal performances include last season’s multi-concert tour with the gifted and versatile countertenor Daniel Cabena, and featuring a plague-themed programme, To Our Great Joy.
This season, the Consort will collaborate again with Daniel, in A Nest of Byrds, a new project in honour of the 400th anniversary of the 1623 death of composer William Byrd, with concerts in Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, and on Hamilton’s Hammer Baroque series. Cardinal Consort is pleased to be joining Dead of Winter in Of Countertenors and Consorts (and we are happy to have you!!)
About Mel Braun Music Director Mel Braun is a long-time baritone soloist, known for his work in Early Music with Tafelmusik and Opera Atelier, his New Music explorations with Banff Centre and Groundswell, and his Art Song projects focusing on the works of Schubert and Wolf. Professor of Voice at the Desautels Faculty of Music, where he also directs the Opera Ensembles, Mel has seen many of his students go on to professional careers as performers, teachers, and Arts Administrators. He has been with DOW since 2010, specializing in workshopping and directing the premieres of new works by Andrew Balfour. When not teaching or directing, Mel is an avid Bombers/Jets fan, with a keen interest in the local pop music scene, many of whose young singers he continues to mentor.
Andrew Balfour photo by Kristen Sawatzky
About Andrew Balfour Of Cree descent, Andrew Balfour is an innovative composer/conductor/singer/sound designer with a large body of choral, instrumental, electro-acoustic and orchestral works. Andrew’s works have been performed and/or broadcast locally, nationally, and internationally. He has been commissioned by the Winnipeg, Regina, Calgary and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, Roomful of Teeth, Tafelmusik, Ensemble Caprice, Groundswell, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Musica Intima, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Winnipeg Singers, and the Kingston Chamber Choir, among others. Andrew Balfour is also the founder and Artistic Director of the innovative vocal group Dead of Winter (Camerata Nova Inc.), now in its 26th year of offering a concert series in Winnipeg. With Dead of Winter, Andrew Balfour specializes in creating “concept concerts,” including a series of three Truth and Reconciliation events (Taken, Fallen, Captive, Notinikew, and Transformation), exploring themes through an eclectic array of new works, arrangements and inter-genre and interdisciplinary collaborations. Andrew is passionate about music education and outreach, particularly on northern reserves and inner-city schools where he has worked on behalf of the National Arts Centre, Dead of Winter, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and various Winnipeg school divisions. Andrew was Curator and Composer-in-Residence of the WSO’s inaugural Indigenous Festival and, in 2017, he was awarded a Gold Medal by the Senate of Canada for his contribution to Canada’s Indigenous and music communities.
WINNIPEG BAROQUE FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ITS BIGGEST SEASON YET!
March 6, 2024
WINNIPEG, MB – The 3rd annual Winnipeg Baroque Festival, slated for April 14th through 21st, 2024, is set to provide Winnipeg music lovers with a buffet of musical offerings from the city’s best choirs and instrumentalists.
“The Winnipeg Baroque Festival strives to build a sense of community celebrating music from the past and showcasing it in exciting and new perspectives,” says Festival artistic director Andrew Balfour. “Dedicated to showcasing and collaborating with musicians from across the musical spectrum in Manitoba and beyond, the Festival’s mandate is to provide access to some of the most glorious music in the musical canon to all in the community.”
Over the course of a week, the Festival is set to present nine concerts that run the gamut from the choral music that formed the foundation of the Festival in its first two years to instrumental offerings, which will be making their debut in this year’s Festival.
“We are so happy to be presenting a concert of instrumental music on period instruments for the first time at the Winnipeg Baroque Festival,” says Winnipeg violinist Momoko Matsumura. “Ancient composers’ intentions are timeless and if there’s anything the world needs in 2024, it’s a moment to unplug, put your life on ‘silent mode’ for a couple of hours and experience a real moment of shared humanity.”
The 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival will begin on April 14th at 3pm at the Crescent Arts Centre in Osborne Village with Of Countertenors and Consorts, a concert presented by one of the Festival’s founding ensembles, Dead of Winter. Curated by John Wiens, co-conducted by the dynamic duo of Andrew Balfour and Mel Braun, and featuring top Canadian countertenor Daniel Cabena and a consort of four viol da gambas (like a cello but with frets and more strings in soprano, alto, tenor, and bass ranges), the ensemble will present works from the Elizabethan Renaissance alongside new works by Juno nominee Andrew Balfour and Carmen Braden. Read more about Of Countertenors and Consorts
At 7pm, audiences are invited to the College Chapel of St. John the Evangelist at the University of Manitoba to hear An English Restoration featuring the music of English Baroque masters performed by All the King’s Men. This concert is one of four in the Festival that are pay-what-you-can, making the music of the 17th and 18th centuries even more accessible!
The Festival resumes on Thursday, April 18th at 7:30pm for Mirrors. This concert features male quintet Proximus 5, who are making their return after a smashing debut in the 2023 Festival. They will be sharing a unique program of French and German Renaissance music inside the historic St. John’s Anglican Cathedral in Winnipeg’s North End. This concert also featuresNUOVOCE, one of Manitoba’s newest choral ensembles who will present repertoire that offers contemporary commentary on music from five centuries earlier. This concert is also being presented on a pay-what-you-can basis!
The second weekend of the Festival kicks off the following night, April 19th at 7:30pm, with another pay-what-you-can offering! The All Saints Anglican Church Choir invites you to Ascension Vespers in the historic All Saints Anglican Church, just across the street from the Manitoba Legislature on Broadway! This program, presented in the traditional Evensong format, will feature two beloved Baroque masterworks – J.S. Bach’s “Ascension Oratorio” and Dietrich Buxtehude’s “Magnificat”.
Saturday, April 20th, promises to be the busiest single day in the history of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival. Three distinctive concerts by three Festival newcomers will be presented across the city, starting at 11am with the Canadian Mennonite University Festival Players. Their concert is entitled Cantatas, Cambers, Claviers & Coffee, which features solo offerings by two students in CMU’s Faculty of Music, along with a community ensemble presenting J.S. Bach’s beloved “Coffee Cantata”! This concert will take place in the Great Hall of CMU’s picturesque North Campus, and will also offer fitting refreshments for concertgoers!
Not to be outdone, the Royal Canadian College of Organists, Winnipeg Chapter will be adding their annual Bach Marathon to this year’s festivities. Hosted at Young United Church in West Broadway, this concert includes an open sign-up for performers of all instrument types to share their favourite Bach music. The best part – the event will be hosted by none other than J.S. Bach himself along with his wife, Anna Magdelena!
Music fans will want to finish off their evening back at All Saints Anglican Church just down the street to hear the first-ever instrumental ensemble to play at the Winnipeg Baroque Festival! Comprised of violinists Momoko Matsumura and Tatiana Friesen, violist Jennifer Thiessen, cellist Nathaniel Froese, organist Theresa Thordarson, and guitarist John Himes, the group will share a program entitled Fidem in Fidibus (Faith in Fiddles), featuring music by well-known Baroque composers like Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber to underperformed gems, including a piece by the first-ever female Baroque composer to be featured in the Festival, Isabella Leonarda.
The final day of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival (April 21st) will start at 3pm at St. Andrews River Heights United Church with a concert by one of Winnipeg’s leading classical music artists, violinist Karl Stobbe. Karl’s program is entitled Sei Solo (To Be Alone), and it features well-known Baroque violin works by Bach alongside Canadian works that speak into the Baroque repertoire, including a world premiere by Quebec composer Michael Oesterle!
What better way to close out the 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival than with a celebration, and festival co-founders, Canzona has cooked up a humdinger! They invite you to Knox United Church at 7pm in downtown Winnipeg for 35! A Choral Celebration, commemorating the ensemble’s 35th season with performances of Bach and Handel, along with an original commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw. This concert will be led by new conductor Elroy Friesen, and will also feature a concert of alumni members performing an excerpt from Bach’s beloved “B Minor Mass” conducted by the ensemble’s founding director, Henry Engbrecht!
“The festival is expanding every year and I hope Winnipeg audiences will hear music that is new to them,” says Matsumura. “There is a growing interest in historically-informed Baroque music performances among musicians and singers right here in our city, and the Winnipeg Baroque Festival is at the centre of it!”
“The Festival looks forward to bringing this passionate and exciting music for many years to Winnipeg audiences,” adds Balfour. “We’re even more excited to be doing so with the support of the local musical community, which is continuing to establish Winnipeg’s reputation as a cultural capital of the world.”
“Storytelling” through music: Andrew Balfour’s Transformation concert, Feb 24, 2024
February 14, 2024
Hussein Janmohamed, Sherryl Sewepagaham, and Andrew Balfour
Andrew Balfour’s Transformation Saturday, February 24, 2024 at 7:30 PM Ukrainian Labour Temple (591 Pritchard Ave.)
Composers’ pre-concert talk: Storytelling Through Music 6:45-7:15 PM
Special thank you to concert sponsors Ron and Sandi Mielitz
What happens when Gujarati chant meets its First Nations counterparts? For Andrew Balfour’s Transformation concert this Saturday, February 24th, Andrew is expanding his concept of Truth and Reconciliation, collaborating with nationally recognized composer-performers Hussein Janmohamed (South Asian Ismaili) and Sherryl Sewepagaham (Alberta Cree-Dene). All three composers bring a unique voice, transforming the way we see the world and each other. Conducted by Mel Braun and featuring the Dead of Winter choir, cellist Leanne Zacharias and traditional Indigenous Songkeeper Cory Campbell, this concert is one in a series designed by Andrew that has received national acclaim with performances in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton.
The Dead of Winter Truth and Reconciliation projects are paired with a Composer Gathering. For years, Andrew and Mel have been honing their skills to create “concept concerts” where a rich theme is chosen, and the curators choose composers and guest artists to collaborate in special projects, such as Andrew’s four Truth and Reconciliation concerts. We have taken this a step further in recent years, inviting our chosen composers to a 4-day gathering at the Herdsman House Artists’ Retreat in Neubergthal, Manitoba.
This has turned into a magical experience. Rather than simply submitting a work based on Andrew’s description of the concert theme, the composers work together to define the theme, building the repertoire and developing exciting ideas for each new work and how it will integrate into the whole.
Much more than that, composers from across the country get to meet one another and become friends. In our most recent Composer Gathering last August 2023, Hussein Janmohamed talks about Sherryl Sewepagaham leading the group in a smudging ceremony. He, in turn, taught the group to sing a Gudrati chant. Ideas and stories flowed in an environment of trust, sharing, and building community. In Hussein’s own words, “Coming [to Manitoba], I’m connecting with the land, I’m connecting with other people, I’m getting to know myself better, I’m finding new language to describe what I do and what I’m interested in – what a gift!”
Andrew Balfour adds, “These connections are already leading to new future collaborations. As Dead of Winter, we feel privileged to be part of this creative sharing across cultures and regions. We have been exploring and developing the idea of a platform for Indigenous storytelling through choral music for the past 10 years. In that time, we have forged and collaborated with some of Canada’s leading Indigenous artists, taking many of these collaborations across the country.”
Performance of Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew at the Montreal New Music Festival
About Andrew Balfour and his Truth and Reconciliation concert series Andrew Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation concert series is one such instance of individual storytelling turned political. Balfour, a Cree composer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has embarked on an ambitious project to inform—and transform—the landscape of Canadian political storytelling, through fusions of musical styles and the sheer power of the human voice. In collaboration with Dead of Winter and a talented roster of Indigenous and Métis guest artists, Balfour performed the third installment of the series, Captive (2022), and the fourth, Notinikew (2023) in Winnipeg, and a combination of Toronto, Edmonton, and Montreal. Each performance was received with tremendous gratitude, a response that speaks to the powerful catharsis one can experience through artistic storytelling.
“Andrew’s direct approach, his direct words and body language, was so refreshing to witness as an Indigenous woman and artist,” reflected Cheri Maracle, an Indigenous Canadian actress who was featured as a guest artist in the Toronto performance of Captive. “His artistry was captivating, evocative and true. The words hit and strung on my nerve, to where I had tears streaming down my cheeks. We know what we went through, what our ancestors went through, and what we still live. Picking up the dead pieces of colonization and claiming them is difficult for a nation. Andrew’s [work] drew attention to this reality—the bitter truths of life for us as Indigenous people—through beautiful music, voices, words, and movement.”
“We do these one-word thematic concerts — Fallen, Captive, Notinikew — for our non-Indigenous audiences,” says Balfour. “For instance, what’s the Indigenous perspective on “captivity”? If these concerts were specifically for Indigenous people, we would need to perform them in an Indigenous language. But we want to tell stories about misunderstandings between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, making a crucial point that these stories are not ancient history, but repeat themselves into the present day.”
Andrew Balfour’s Captive receives a standing ovation at Choral Canada’s 2022 Podium Conference and Festival in Toronto, Ontario.
About Hussein Janmohamed Hussein is a dynamic singer, musical curator, composer, choral clinician, and educator. He is an Ismaili Muslim of South Asian East African descent. Hussein facilitates transformational experiences for communities and teams to connect across their differences through an unconventional approach to collaboration, creation, and singing. His work bridges gaps in music education and provides access to music, sound, and creation for all people regardless of their musical background.
Hussein recites traditional Ismaili devotional poetry and is an active community arts educator leading the revitalization of Muslim traditions through intercultural vocal arts. His compositions express a pluralistic vision of culture creating harmony through diversity.
Highlights include commissions for the Esoterics, Amabile choirs, Aga Khan Museum, Ontario Presents, and the Westcoast Sacred Arts Society with Lil’wat composer Russell Wallace for a Tribute Concert for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 2021, Hussein worked with Russell Wallace and Amirali Alibhai (Aga Khan Museum) to produce a digital community-engaged response to the discovery of the remains of 215 children anonymously buried under a residential school in Kamloops, BC, and many more across the country. Hussein has been recognized for his inspirational leadership and is a two-time recipient of the Irene R. Miller and Anoush Khoshkish Fellowship at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music.
About Sherryl Sewepagaham Sherryl is of Woodland Cree and Dene ancestry from the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta and resides in Edmonton. She holds degrees in Master of Education, Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Music Therapy. Sherryl is an experienced K-6 elementary music specialist and Orff-Schulwerk Specialist focusing on Indigenous music pedagogies and taught elementary music for 14 years and continued with consulting and presenting in the field. With the land as her teacher, Sherryl is furthering her knowledge of Indigenous Ways of Knowing and learning traditional practices on the land and waters in Treaty 8 territory.
Sherryl is a published composer of Cree choral works and First Nations songs. She is also a music producer having co-produced and composed the soundtrack for the documentary Re-ken-si-le-a-shen by Métis filmmaker, Jamie Bourque. Her 2014 debut solo album, Splashing the Water Loudly, received a 2015 Indigenous Music Award nomination and is featured in APTN’s Chaos and Courage series and All Our Relations. Sherryl wrote the music and lyrics for the National Arts Centre’s Music Alive Program (MAP) theme song, “Music Alive”, which has been shared with elementary schools across Canada. Sherryl also created and co-created three teacher resources for the MAP program and created a secondary music resource called Kanata: Contemporary Indigenous Artists and their Music with MusiCounts Education Charity. She continues to develop cultural music programs and teacher resources in education locally and nationally.
Sherryl was a 22-year, founding member of the retired 2006 Juno-nominated, Edmonton-based trio Asani and received a 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award, a 2010 Indian Summer Music Award, a 2005 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award, and many other prestigious music awards nominations. Asani toured extensively around the world performing at Carnegie Hall in New York, The Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, BC, and stages in Finland, France, South Africa, Hawaii, Boston, Newfoundland, and Yukon.
clockwise from top: Cory Campbell, Leanne Zacharias, Mel Braun
About Mel Braun Music Director Mel Braun is a long-time baritone soloist, known for his work in Early Music with Tafelmusik and Opera Atelier, his New Music explorations with Banff Centre and Groundswell, and his Art Song projects focusing on the works of Schubert and Wolf. Professor of Voice at the Desautels Faculty of Music, where he also directs the Opera Ensembles, Mel has seen many of his students go on to professional careers as performers, teachers, and Arts Administrators. He has been with DOW since 2010, specializing in workshopping and directing the premieres of new works by Andrew Balfour. When not teaching or directing, Mel is an avid Bombers/Jets fan, with a keen interest in the local pop music scene, many of whose young singers he continues to mentor.
About Leanne Zacharias Cellist Leanne Zacharias performs across genres and geographies, with unique concerts and installations presented in museums, art galleries, chimneys, stairwells, rowboats and other unorthodox sites by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, LandMarks2017, the International Cello Festival, Austin’s New Music Coop, Winnipeg Design Festival, Iceland’s Nes Residency, Open Ears Festival, Agassiz Festival, Winnipeg Symphony New Music Festival, Sound Symposium (NFLD), Churchill’s Northern Studies Research Centre and Winnipeg’s Warming Huts Art & Architecture Competition. From the National Arts Centre to the Venice Biennale to the Andy Warhol Museum, she performs widely as soloist and in ensembles including the Australian Art Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and ORFIX in Mexico. She collaborates, records, and tours extensively with songwriters and composers including John. K Samson, the Mountain Goats, Eric Platz, Robert Honstein, Travis Weller, the Hylozoists, Nicole Lizee’s SaskPower, and her long-time collaborator, Christine Fellows. She recently premiered Nicole Lizee’s new cello concerto and appeared as soloist in Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew at Montreal’s Place des Arts. She will appear as guest artist in Glasgow, Scotland’s Art-making in the Anthropocene Outdoor Art Residency this spring.
On faculty at Brandon University, Leanne co-directs Wheat City Nuit Blanche, A Wild Studio (Canadian National Parks) and has taught at the Rosamunde Academy, Cadenza, Prairie Cello Institute, Domaine Forget International Festival, Hybrid Intensive (San Francisco). A popular speaker, she adjudicates across North America and has delivered lectures at the Parsons School of Design in New York, the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s 10x20x20 series, the Banff Centre’s Research in Culture Workshop, Germany’s IIAS conference and at Mexico City’s UNAM. Her solo album Music for Spaces was released on Redshift Records in 2021, featuring the acoustics of unique historic buildings around the prairie region. Leanne plays a French Couteriuex cello dating from the 1820’s.
About Cory Campbell Cory Campbell, Ojibway Songkeeper, was raised in Winnipeg’s North End and was exposed to great music through his parents and extended family. Cory’s first experience with traditional singing as part of his cultural exploration helped him find his voice and connect to his spirituality in a profound way. He has been blessed with opportunities to perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Dead of Winter (Camerata Nova Inc.) and the University of Manitoba Concert Choir. He takes special pride in his work within numerous schools in and around Winnipeg as part of his passion for helping young Indigenous people find their voice as an expression of pride in their heritage. Singing at ceremony is one of the most important ways Cory is able to engage in self-care. On a personal note, Cory enjoys life with his wife and three foster children, as well as time with his ten grandchildren. Cory is a very active participant within the spiritual community in and around Winnipeg and abroad. He frequently lends his voice to various activities, including ceremonies and celebrations. Currently, Cory is Executive Director of Project Neecheewam, a community-based organization designed to meet the unique and individual needs of Indigenous youth requiring safe care through a holistic approach that encourages a sense of positive self-worth through emotional, physical, spiritual, intellectual and social growth.
About the Choir Taylor Burns is a first year Masters student in Vocal Performance at the Desautels Faculty of Music, where she studies with Monica Huisman. A native of Kingston, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Western University. Besides being a fine singer with considerable Early Music experience, Taylor also wields a mean set of crochet hooks. This is Taylor’s first appearance with DoW. Welcome, Taylor!
Brittany Melnichuk holds a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from the Desautels Faculty of Music, with an Undergraduate background in Jazz. Active as a singer in the local choral scene, Brittany is Music Director for the Rainbow Harmony project and also works for the Manitoba Choral Association.
Sara Clefstad is a long-time member of the Winnipeg choral scene, having sung numerous performances with Dead of Winter, Canzona, and PolyCoro. A versatile singer, Sara is as comfortable in pop as she is in classical music. Nothing suits Sara better than singing together with other folks. We’re so glad to have her back for this concert.
Keely McPeek is an Indigenous soprano and actor who holds a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Voice from the Desautels Faculty of Music. Numerous local theatre performances and tours and a recent debut with Manitoba Opera in Suzanne Steele and Neil Weisensel’s new opera Li Keur have kept this talented young artist busy. Tonight is Keely’s first appearance with DoW. Welcome, Keely!
Donnalynn Grills is a long-time soloist and chorister on the local scene. She has appeared in mezzo-soprano roles with Manitoba Opera, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Little Opera Company, and Rainbow Stage, while also gracing the alto section of all Winnipeg’s professional choirs. Donnalynn runs the Preparatory Division at the Desautels faculty of Music.
Katy Harmer holds a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from the Desautels Faculty of Music. Ongoing tours as a member of the Canadian Chamber Choir, along with her work as Music Director at St. Andrews River Heights Church and various community-based projects, keep Katy fully occupied. This winter term also finds her standing in for Dr. Elroy Friesen as conductor of the University Singers.
Ashley Schneberger is a recent graduate of the Desautels Faculty of Music, where she completed a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance. She recently performed Berlioz’ Nuit D’ Étés with the University of Manitoba Orchestra. When not singing, Ashley is found at the Manitoba Opera offices, where she is Assistant to CEO Larry Desrochers. This is Ashley’s first appearance with DOW. Welcome, Ashley!
Nolan Kehler holds a Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Victoria. Nolan keeps up a busy performing schedule. Along with singing the tenor solos in the Winnipeg Baroque Festival performance of Bach’s St. John Passion, Nolan sang the Evangelist and Tenor solos in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the CMU Choir, Notinikew with Edmonton’s Chronos Vocal Ensemble and Dead of Winter, an Evening of John Denver songs with the WSO, and a role in Manitoba’s premiere of Suzanne Steele and Neil Weisensel’s Li Keur. When not performing, Nolan is busy behind the scenes as a CBC Radio broadcaster and producer.
David Sawatsky holds a Doctorate in Choral conducting from the University of Illinois. An experienced choral musician, formerly a member of Edmonton’s Pro Coro, David was the long-time Director of the choral program at Providence College. These days, David is the President of the Board for Manitoba Choral Association and a website designer, who keeps busy singing with local professional choirs and conducting the choir at Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church.
Mike Thompson is one of the founding members of Dead of Winter. His long connection with DOW as well as Winnipeg Singers has made him one of the busier choral tenors in the city over the years. An avid hunter, Mike also works part-time as an Armed Guard for Brinks and happens to be the lone professional digeridoo player on the prairies. Along with Al Schroeder, Mike provides much of the overtoning for DOW.
Dr. Matthew Knight is DOW’s resident Ethnomusicologist and an expert in Georgian choral music and Shaped Note singing. A valued member of the local professional choirs, Matt curated the set of Georgian carols that were the highlight of DOW’s Celebrating the Carol concert and the Shaped Note carols that were part of last November’s Wintersing. When not curating Georgian choral events or exploring Sacred harp repertoire, Matt can be found singing back-up vocals with local folk group The Small Glories.
Al Schroeder is another of the founding members of DOW. Also active with the Winnipeg Singers, Al’s deep bass and overtoning skills are a much prized part of the DOW sound. Evidence of Al’s expertise as a carpenter is found in homes around the city, an expertise he has recently been taking way up north to Churchill.
John Anderson is a graduate in Vocal Performance from the Desautels Faculty of Music. His lovely bass-baritone voice is much in demand with local professional choirs. Possessed of many skills, including Arts Management, John keeps himself busy these days teaching voice at Westgate Mennonite Collegiate, and working on his songwriting/recording profile.
Caleb Rondeau is currently a student in Music Education at the Desautels Faculty of Music. He is one of the founding members of NUOVOCE, a choir directed by DOW singers Sarah Sommer and Justin Odwak, and was recently appointed Assistant Conductor for the group. As part of the exploration of his Metis heritage, Caleb has taken an active part in various EDI initiatives with the Manitoba Choral Association.
Phew! Our 2023/23 season was quite the ride, and as Dead of Winter glides into 2023/24 we’re showing no signs of slowing down. We have a new season packed with rich and diverse programming, including WinterSing!, Andrew Balfour’s Transformation as well as our 2024 Winnipeg Baroque Festival entry, OfCountertenors and Consorts.
Check out the breakdown of our full season below, including individual concert details. We’re looking forward to singing for (and with!) you this year!
WinterSing! Sunday, November 26, 2023, 3:00 p.m., Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Avenue) Special thank you to concert sponsors Johnston Group
Dead of Winter is thrilled to collaborate with acoustic chamber folk artist Raine Hamilton and trio, and the Rainbow Harmony Project on our WinterSing holiday concert. Bring your family and your vocal chords for this FREE experience created by Curator/Conductor Vic Pankratz.
Space is limited, please secure your FREE tickets HERE
Andrew Balfour’s Transformation Saturday, February 24, 2024, 7:30 p.m., Ukrainian Labour Temple (591 Pritchard Avenue) Special thank you to concert sponsors Ron and Sandi Mielitz
What happens when Gudrati chant meets its First Nations counterparts? For this concert, Andrew Balfour is expanding his concept of Truth and Reconciliation, collaborating with nationally recognized composer-performers Hussein Janmohamed (South Asian Ismaili) and Sherryl Sewepagaham (Alberta Cree-Dene). All three composers bring a unique voice, transforming the way we see the world and each other. Conducted by Mel Braun and featuring traditional Indigenous Songkeeper Cory Campbell, this concert is one in a series designed by Andrew that has received national acclaim with performances in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton. Not to be missed!
Of Countertenors and Consorts Sunday, April 14, 2024, 3:00 p.m., Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Avenue) Special thank you to concert sponsors Drs. Bill Pope and Elizabeth Tippet Pope
Curator/conductor John Wiens has created an innovative offering, featuring top Canadian countertenor Daniel Cabena and a consort of four viol da gambas (like a cello but with frets and more strings in soprano, alto, tenor, and bass ranges). The repertoire will showcase the Elizabethan Renaissance but also have fun combining very old instruments with very new scores!
Composers include Byrd, Tallis and Canadians Carmen Braden, and Andrew Balfour.
Please note: This concert is part of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival to be held April 13-21, 2024. Get your tickets now through the Winnipeg Baroque Festival website.
“Truthtelling” through choral music: Andrew Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation concerts
September 26, 2023
Andrew Balfour’s Captive receives a standing ovation at Choral Canada’s 2022 Podium Conference and Festival in Toronto, Ontario. Photo: Roland Deschambault
REPOST from January 2023
Storytelling has an undeniable impact on our Canadian political imagination today. As a nation that heralds itself as multicultural, multi-ethnic, and an all-around hospitable place to live, telling individual stories—especially those belonging to the newcomer or marginalized voices among us—has become necessarily entangled in the way we understand our larger national identity.
Andrew Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation concert series is one such instance of individual storytelling turned political. Balfour, a Cree composer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has embarked on an ambitious project to inform—and transform—the landscape of Canadian political storytelling, through fusions of musical styles and the sheer power of the human voice. In May 2022, Balfour performed the third installment of the series, Captive, a project generously supported by a Reconciliation Grant from The Winnipeg Foundation, alongside other major funding bodies like the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council. In collaboration with Dead of Winter, a Winnipeg-based choral ensemble, and a talented roster of Indigenous and Métis guest artists, Balfour presented Captive inboth Winnipeg and Toronto. Each performance was received with tremendous gratitude, a response that speaks to the powerful catharsis one can experience through artistic storytelling.
“Andrew’s direct approach, his direct words and body language, was so refreshing to witness as an Indigenous woman and artist,” reflected Cheri Maracle, an Indigenous Canadian actress who was featured as a guest artist in the Toronto performance at Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. “His artistry was captivating, evocative and true. The words hit and strung on my nerve, to where I had tears streaming down my cheeks. We know what we went through and what our ancestors went through, and what we still live. Picking up the dead pieces of colonization and claiming them is difficult for a nation. Andrew’s [work] drew attention to this reality—the bitter truths of life for us as Indigenous people—through beautiful music, voices, words and movement.”
From the beginning of his compositional career, Balfour has sought to reconcile his two worlds: the world of the sixties scoop which, growing up, led him to choral church music; and the Indigenous music he was introduced to by Elders as part of his healing journey. His earlier compositions like Wa Wa Tey Wak, Medieval Inuit, Empire Étrange and Take the Indian already showed Balfour taking on stories of the oppressed and sharing them with his audiences, combining the choral polyphony he grew up on with the visceral rhythms and keening melodies of his Indigenous heritage. In 2017, following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, Balfour began programming a series of concerts with Dead of Winter (formerly Camerata Nova), a choral ensemble he co-founded, named in reference to the group’s cold but creatively robust city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Each concert of this series is curated around a theme or concept that resonates with the Canadian Indigenous experience, particularly the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples at the hands of colonial settlers. Taken (2017) is inspired by the taking away of Indigenous cultures and languages and the physical abduction of Indigenous people; Fallen (2018) is an anti-war choral drama focusing on the stories of Indigenous men forced into military service during World War One. Then, this May, Balfour and Dead of Winter added to their growing legacy as choral storytellers with the performance of Captive. Captive speaks to the Indigenous experience of captivity, from imprisonment and struggles with addiction to the idea of captive languages and medicines. Dead of Winter, alongside an exceptional roster of Indigenous collaborators, performed Captive in Winnipeg at the West End Cultural Centre, and in Toronto at Podium, Canada’s premiere choral conference and festival. The program was received with wild success in both cities, notably by audiences made up of mostly non-Indigenous people.
“This performance wasn’t a concert; this was ceremony,” remarked a well-respected choral conductor in the Winnipeg musical community. He was certainly not alone in his experience (and his comment could very well be turned into an epigraph for Balfour’s entire series). Simeon Rusnak, who holds an education in Music History at the University of Manitoba and now hosts Morning Light, a program on Winnipeg’s Classic 107 radio station, is a long-time supporter of Balfour’s work. Reflecting on the Winnipeg performance he attended of Captive, Rusnak writes, “Captive provided a rare opportunity to sit and wrestle with emotions, confront discomfort, acknowledge wrongs, and celebrate joys. To me, this is what Andrew and his compositions do in such a deft and poignant manner: address past wrongs while also confronting current realities.” Rusnak is speaking to his personal experience of Balfour’s music as a non-Indigenous person, but his testimonial captures the broader scope of Balfour’s project: that of remembering the specificity of Indigenous peoples’ affliction and reconciling it within the collective stories of our present, and future, nation.
“We do these one-word thematic concerts — Taken, Fallen, Captive — for our non-Indigenous audiences,” says Balfour. “For instance, what’s the Indigenous perspective on “captivity”? If these concerts were specifically for Indigenous people, we would need to perform them in an Indigenous language. But we want to tell stories about misunderstandings between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, making a crucial point that these stories are not ancient history, but repeat themselves into the present day.”
In the Captive program, the theme of presenting Indigenous stories to non-Indigenous audiences manifests as a palpable, musical tension. Listeners hear Western classical elements of choral composition and performance reimagined within the improvisatory nature of Indigenous styles of music-making.
“Andrew’s powerful depictions of loss and injustice come through in the startling dissonances and repeated rhythmic gestures that he uses,” remarks Mel Braun, head of the Desautels Faculty of Music vocal program at the University of Manitoba and Balfour’s collaborator, as well as a conductor on all Truth and Reconciliation concerts. Braun has spent the last 13 years working with Balfour, witnessing the growth in his compositional voice. “A sense of the land we need to get back to also comes through in the hypnotic soundscapes he creates. Is there hope? Yes, but it comes at the cost of people acknowledging past mistakes and finding new ways of living together. As Andrew often says, it’s the artists with their collaborations, not the politicians, who will show the way to true reconciliation and growth.”
The Captive program—in both cities—opened and closed with traditional Indigenous Honour and Travelling Songs performed by Ray Coco Stevenson in Winnipeg and Rosary Spence in Toronto. Dead of Winter then performed “Woman,” a riveting and emotive piece written by Kristi Lane Sinclair (her very first choral composition). Electro-acoustic violist Melody McKiver performed alongside the ensemble as a guest artist for “Woman” and “Captive” to create an eerie but stunning soundscape that set a darker tone to the program, even as the Métis fiddler, Alexandre Tétreault, dotted the poignant atmosphere with lively displays of virtuosity (to whoops and hollers from the vocalists!). At the heart of the program was Balfour’s “Captive,” inspired by the story of 19th-century Chief Poundmaker. Poundmaker had been known by his people of the Poundmaker Cree Nation as a peacemaker, but following the North-West Rebellion of 1885, he was arrested and shamefully convicted of treason. During Poundmaker’s time in prison, his health deteriorated considerably and he died of a lung hemorrhage the following year.
It’s important to highlight that Balfour prefaced the Toronto performance with a dedication to Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance, a pair of sisters from Keeseekoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, who are currently serving a life sentence for what is considered by many as a wrongful conviction. The sisters have been in prison for three decades, but in recent news, their case has been reopened for an investigation into a “miscarriage of justice.” Balfour, in his opening comments, lamented the recent case. He drew attention to it as a reminder that Poundmaker’s story of wrongful conviction belongs to the present day as much as to the past, as we continue to witness the injustices that stem from a history of poor storytelling and even poorer listening. In essence, Captive and its sister programs are a kind of call to arms, or rather, a call for better, more informed listening to those stories that appear easy to dismiss.
But what, exactly, does it look like to be a better listener? And who in our society do we trust as our storytellers? There is another looming question here that demands much more attention than a single article can offer. What is the distinction between “truthtelling” and storytelling, and what does this distinction tell us about the kinds of truths we seek, political or otherwise? These are difficult questions that may belong to a philosophical treatise sooner than a single article, though we may still use a single article—or a daring artistic project—as a platform to ask them.
“We, as artists, are truthtellers,” says Balfour. “We are the ones who are telling and respecting these stories. As in, realizing the importance of what it is we’re telling. We’re vessels for the truth. It’s not the same as government commissions or legal commissions; it’s important that we’re able to tell these stories without editing or censorship, without political delegacies. I think this is the important thing that Dead of Winter is doing, that is, making room for myself, or other Indigenous composers including Cris Derksen, Eliot Britton, Jeremy Dutcher, or any of the other guest artists we’ve worked with over the years, to tell their truth, as it is, without censorship.”
“The way he combines his influences to find new musical ways of telling stories is unique to him,” says Braun. “If anyone understands both sides of the colonial issue, it’s Andrew, because he has lived in both worlds. What he shows us in his music is how the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can work together side-by-side to tell stories that create a beautiful new world. If that’s not de-colonizing, nothing is.”
Balfour’s project is not just to make room for more marginalized voices to be heard, but to challenge the ways in which we hear, and thereby understand, underrepresented and difficult stories. Amid a society increasingly disillusioned with its institutions, Balfour proposes that today, it’s the artists who are responsible for transforming our collective stories. It’s our composers, singers, and musicians who are empowered to break the violent patterns in our nation’s history, through sheer resonance and effective artistry. Indeed, the remarkable malleability, dynamism and technical gifts mastered in the human voice can convey truths that are at once convincing and impossible, accessible and ceremonious—all the trappings of a good story. Or the story of a nation’s future. Who knows? Attending a choral concert could very well be one of the more revolutionary things we do this year.
« Dire la vérité » par la musique chorale : les concerts de vérité et de réconciliation d’Andrew Balfour
La narration d’histoires a un impact indéniable sur l’imagination politique canadienne d’aujourd’hui. En tant que nation qui se présente comme multiculturelle, multiethnique et accueillante, le fait de raconter des histoires individuelles – en particulier celles des personnes nouvellement arrivées ou marginalisées parmi nous – est nécessairement lié à la façon dont nous comprenons notre identité nationale.
La série de concerts sur la vérité et la réconciliation d’Andrew Balfour est l’un de ces exemples de récits individuels devenus politiques. Andrew Balfour, compositeur cri de Winnipeg, au Manitoba, s’est lancé dans un projet ambitieux visant à éclairer – et à transformer – le paysage des récits politiques canadiens, grâce à des fusions de styles musicaux et au simple pouvoir de la voix humaine. En mai 2022, il a présenté le troisième volet de sa série, Captive, un projet généreusement soutenu par une subvention de réconciliation de la Winnipeg Foundation, ainsi que par d’autres bailleurs de fonds importants comme le Conseil des Arts du Canada, le Conseil des Arts du Manitoba et le Conseil des Arts de Winnipeg. En collaboration avec Dead of Winter, un ensemble choral de Winnipeg, et un groupe d’artistes invités autochtones et métis, Andrew Balfour a présenté Captive à Winnipeg et à Toronto. Chaque représentation a été accueillie avec beaucoup de gratitude, une réaction qui témoigne de la puissante libération émotive que l’on peut éprouver en découvrant un récit artistique.
« L’approche directe d’Andrew, ses mots directs et son langage corporel, étaient si rafraîchissants à voir pour moi, en tant que femme et artiste autochtone », a commenté Cheri Maracle, une actrice canadienne autochtone qui était l’artiste invitée du concert de Toronto à la Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. « Son art était captivant, évocateur et vrai. Les mots m’ont émue et m’ont interpelée au point de faire couler des larmes sur mes joues. Nous savons ce que nous avons vécu et ce que nos ancêtres ont vécu, et ce que nous vivons encore. Ramasser les morceaux défunts de la colonisation et les revendiquer est difficile pour une nation. L’œuvre d’Andrew a attiré l’attention sur cette réalité – les vérités amères de la vie pour nous en tant qu’Autochtones – par le biais de musique, de voix, de mots et de mouvements magnifiques. »
Dès le début de sa carrière de compositeur, Andrew Balfour a cherché à réconcilier ses deux mondes : le monde de la rafle des années 1960 qui, en grandissant, l’a conduit à la musique chorale d’église, et la musique autochtone à laquelle il a été initié par des Aînés dans le cadre de son parcours de guérison. Dans ses premières compositions comme Wa Wa Tey Wak, Medieval Inuit, Empire Étrange et Take the Indian, il racontait déjà les histoires des opprimés et les partageait avec son public, en combinant la polyphonie chorale de son enfance avec les rythmes viscéraux et les mélodies plaintives de son héritage autochtone. En 2017, à la suite des audiences de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation, Andrew Balfour a commencé à programmer une série de concerts sur le thème de la vérité et de la réconciliation avec Dead of Winter (anciennement Camerata Nova), un ensemble choral qu’il a cofondé et dont le nom fait référence à la ville de Winnipeg, au Manitoba, d’où vient le groupe, une ville où il fait froid mais où la créativité est forte. Chaque concert de cette série est organisé autour d’un thème, ou concept, qui fait écho à l’expérience autochtone canadienne, en particulier les mauvais traitements infligés aux peuples autochtones par les colons, s’inspire de la négation des cultures et des langues autochtones et de l’enlèvement physique de personnes autochtones; Puis, en mai dernier, Andrew Balfour et Dead of Winter ont ajouté à leur héritage croissant de porteurs d’histoires chorales avec la représentation de Captive. Captive traite de l’expérience autochtone de la captivité, de l’emprisonnement et de la lutte contre la toxicomanie à l’idée de langues et de médecines autochtones interdites. Dead of Winter, accompagné d’un groupe exceptionnel de collaborateurs et collaboratrices autochtones, a présenté Captive à Winnipeg, au West End Cultural Centre, puis à Toronto, à Podium, la plus importante conférence et le plus important festival de chant choral au Canada. Le programme a été accueilli avec un succès fou dans les deux villes, notamment par un public composé majoritairement de personnes non autochtones.
« Cette représentation n’était pas un concert; c’était une cérémonie », a fait remarquer un chef de chœur très respecté dans la communauté musicale de Winnipeg. Il n’était certainement pas le seul à vivre cette expérience (et son commentaire pourrait très bien être transformé en épigraphe pour toute la série d’Andrew Balfour). Simeon Rusnak, qui a fait des études en histoire de la musique à l’Université du Manitoba et qui anime aujourd’hui l’émission Morning Light à la station de radio Classic 107 de Winnipeg, est un admirateur de longue date du travail d’Andrew Balfour. À propos de la représentation de Captive à Winnipeg à laquelle il a assisté, M. Rusnak écrit : « Captive a offert une rare occasion de s’asseoir et de se débattre avec ses émotions, d’affronter l’inconfort, de reconnaître ses torts et de célébrer ses joies. Pour moi, c’est ce qu’Andrew et ses compositions font d’une manière si adroite et poignante : aborder les torts du passé tout en faisant face aux réalités actuelles » Rusnak parle de son expérience personnelle de la musique d’Andrew en tant que personne non autochtone, mais son témoignage reflète la portée plus large du projet d’Andrew Balfour : celui de se souvenir de la spécificité de l’affliction des peuples autochtones et de la réconcilier avec les histoires collectives de notre nation actuelle et future.
« Nous organisons des concerts thématiques en un mot – Taken, Fallen, Captive – pour notre public non autochtone, explique Andrew Balfour. Par exemple, quel est le point de vue autochtone sur la “captivité”? Si ces concerts étaient destinés à un public autochtone, il faudrait les présenter dans une langue autochtone. Mais nous voulons raconter des histoires sur les malentendus entre les non-Autochtones et les Autochtones, en insistant sur le fait que ces histoires ne sont pas de l’histoire ancienne, mais se répètent jusqu’à aujourd’hui. »
Dans le programme Captive, le thème de la présentation d’histoires autochtones à un public non autochtone se manifeste par une tension musicale palpable. L’auditoire entend les éléments classiques occidentaux de la composition et de l’interprétation chorales réimaginés dans le cadre de la nature improvisatrice des styles musicaux autochtones.
« Les dissonances surprenantes et les gestes rythmiques répétés d’Andrew font ressortir la puissance de ses descriptions de la perte et de l’injustice », remarque Mel Braun, directeur du programme vocal de la Faculté de musique Desautels de l’Université du Manitoba, collaborateur d’Andrew et chef de chœur pour tous les concerts sur le thème de la vérité et de la réconciliation. Braun a passé les 13 dernières années à travailler avec Andrew et a été témoin de son épanouissement en tant que compositeur. « Le sentiment de la terre et de la nature que nous devons retrouver transparaît également dans les paysages sonores hypnotiques qu’il crée. Y a-t-il de l’espoir? Oui, mais il faut pour cela que les gens reconnaissent leurs erreurs passées et trouvent de nouvelles façons de vivre ensemble. Comme Andrew le dit souvent, ce sont les artistes et leurs collaborations, et non les politiciens, qui montreront la voie de la réconciliation et de la croissance véritables. »
Le programme Captive – dans les deux villes – a débuté et s’est terminé par des chants traditionnels autochtones d’honneur et de voyage interprétés par Ray Coco Stevenson à Winnipeg et Rosary Spence à Toronto. Dead of Winter a ensuite interprété « Woman », une pièce fascinante et émotive écrite par Kristi Lane Sinclair (sa toute première composition pour chorale). L’altiste électroacoustique Melody McKiver s’est produite aux côtés de l’ensemble en tant qu’artiste invitée pour « Woman » et « Captive », créant un paysage sonore sinistre mais saisissant et donnant un ton plus sombre au programme, même si le violoneux métis, Alexandre Tétreault, a parsemé cette atmosphère émouvante de vives démonstrations de virtuosité (sous les acclamations des choristes!). La pièce maîtresse du programme était « Captive » de Balfour, inspirée de l’histoire du chef Poundmaker au 19e siècle. Poundmaker était connu par son peuple de la nation crie de Poundmaker comme un conciliateur, mais après la rébellion du Nord-Ouest de 1885, il a été arrêté et honteusement condamné pour trahison. Pendant son séjour en prison, la santé de Poundmaker s’est considérablement détériorée et il est mort d’une hémorragie pulmonaire l’année suivante.
Il est important de souligner qu’Andrew Balfour a commencé la représentation de Toronto par une dédicace à Odelia et Nerissa Quewezance, deux sœurs de la Première Nation Keeseekoose en Saskatchewan qui purgent actuellement une peine de prison à vie pour ce qui est considéré par beaucoup comme une condamnation injustifiée. Les sœurs sont en prison depuis trois décennies, mais aux dernières nouvelles, leur dossier a été rouvert pour enquête sur une « erreur judiciaire ». Andrew Balfour, dans son discours d’ouverture, a déploré cette affaire récente. Il a attiré l’attention sur l’affaire pour rappeler que l’histoire de la condamnation injustifiée de Poundmaker appartient au présent autant qu’au passé, car nous continuons à être témoins des injustices qui découlent d’une histoire mal racontée et encore plus mal écoutée. En substance, Captive et ses programmes apparentés sont une sorte d’appel aux armes, ou plutôt, un appel à une écoute meilleure et plus informée de ces histoires qui semblent faciles à ignorer.
Mais comment faire pour être plus à l’écoute? Et à qui, dans notre société, faisons-nous confiance pour raconter nos histoires? Une autre question se pose ici, qui exige beaucoup plus d’attention que cet article ne peut en offrir : quelle est la distinction entre « dire la vérité » et raconter des histoires, et qu’est-ce que cette distinction nous dit sur les types de vérités que nous recherchons, politiques ou autres? Il s’agit là de questions difficiles qui relèvent davantage d’un traité philosophique que d’un seul article, bien que nous puissions quand même utiliser un seul article – ou un projet artistique audacieux – comme plateforme pour les poser.
« Nous, en tant qu’artistes, sommes des diseurs de vérité, dit Andrew Balfour. Nous sommes ceux qui racontent ces histoires avec respect. C’est-à-dire que nous réalisons l’importance de ce que nous racontons. Nous sommes des vaisseaux pour la vérité. Ce n’est pas la même chose que les commissions gouvernementales ou les commissions juridiques; il est important que nous soyons capables de raconter ces histoires sans édition ou censure, sans délégations politiques. Je pense que c’est la chose importante que fait Dead of Winter, à savoir faire de la place pour moi, ou pour d’autres compositeurs autochtones, notamment Cris Derksen, Eliot Britton, Jeremy Dutcher, ou n’importe quel autre artiste invité avec lequel nous avons travaillé au fil des ans, pour qu’ils racontent leur vérité, telle qu’elle est, sans censure. »
« La façon dont il combine ses influences pour trouver de nouvelles façons musicales de raconter des histoires lui est propre, remarque Mel Braun. Si quelqu’un comprend les deux côtés de la question coloniale, c’est bien Andrew, car il a vécu dans les deux mondes. Ce qu’il nous montre dans sa musique, c’est comment les communautés autochtones et non autochtones peuvent travailler ensemble, côte à côte, pour raconter des histoires qui créent un nouveau monde magnifique. Si cela n’est pas de la décolonisation, rien ne l’est. »
Le projet d’Andrew Balfour ne consiste pas seulement à faire de la place pour que des voix plus marginalisées puissent être entendues, mais aussi à remettre en question la façon dont nous entendons, et donc comprenons, les histoires sous-représentées et difficiles. Dans une société de plus en plus désillusionnée par ses institutions, il propose qu’aujourd’hui, ce sont les artistes qui sont responsables de la transformation de nos histoires collectives. Ce sont nos compositeurs, nos chanteurs et nos musiciens qui ont le pouvoir de briser les modèles violents de l’histoire de notre nation, par simple résonance et par un art efficace. En effet, la remarquable malléabilité, le dynamisme et les dons techniques maîtrisés par la voix humaine peuvent transmettre des vérités à la fois convaincantes et impossibles, accessibles et cérémonielles – tous les attributs d’une bonne histoire. Ou l’histoire de l’avenir d’une nation. Qui sait? Assister à un concert de chant choral pourrait très bien être l’une des choses les plus révolutionnaires que nous ferons cette année.
Sara Krahn
Visionnez la représentation complète de Captive par Dead of Winter, mai 2022.
An unprecedented collaboration between Winnipeg choirs who are passionate about Baroque music.
Canzona and Dead of Winter join forces to present the 2023 Winnipeg Baroque Festival. With three concerts and a week full of special events, you won’t want to miss this exciting addition to the Winnipeg arts scene!
April 15, 2023 / 7:30 PM — Dead of Winter presents Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 at the Crescent Art Centre.
Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers is one of the most revolutionary pieces of early classical music to date. This ambitious performance, by Dead of Winter under the artistic direction of John Wiens, represents a landmark event in the history of period early music in Winnipeg.
Monteverdi’s Vespers will feature top early music soloists from across Canada including, Jane Fingler, Soprano; Dayna Lamothe, Soprano; Karla Ferguson, Alto; Tim Shantz, Kerry Bursey, Kyle Briscoe, Tenor; Scott Braun, Paul Bruch-Wiens, Jereme Wall, and Jonathon Adams, Bass; 14 powerful Manitoba choristers; and 14 specialized instrumentalists from across Canada playing period instruments such as cornettos, sackbuts, theorbo, and portative organ.
Special thank you to Monteverdi Vespers concert sponsors Drs. Bill Pope and Elizabeth Tippet Pope.
Published in 1610 and organized into thirteen movements spanning an impressive ninety minutes, the Vespers is one of the earliest large-scale masterpieces of the Western world, connecting music loving audiences across artistic styles, cultures, and eras. Indeed, Monteverdi was the radical composer of his time, moving from brilliant, traditional Renaissance music to creating the controversial, more expressive style we now call Baroque. His Vespers paved the way for all tonally centered music we have come to know and love in our modern venues and concert halls.
What makes the Vespers a work of such distinction? It is dance-like, with showy operatic elements and flashy moments of virtuosity. Though its individual movements are inspired by the biblical psalms, the Vespers are enjoyable and accessible to secular and sacred audiences alike. Comfortable as both a performer and composer, Monteverdi wrote the Vespers for the musician as much as the listener, a work of sophisticated musical language that might be one of the best gateway drugs to early music there is. Think Handel’s Messiah one hundred and fifty years before Handel was even a thought; Claudio Monteverdi was something of a Jimmy Hendrix, transforming people’s idea of what instruments could do and music could be.
Why should we care about Vespers, in Manitoba? In fact, there is a burgeoning early music scene right here in Winnipeg. With a well-established choral music scene on the national and international stage, Winnipeg is steadily growing as a hub for early music performance. A performance of Monteverdi’s choral works, which require a certain calibre of vocal prowess and skill, would represent a landmark performance of early music on a local stage. Indeed, choral singing is a balm for the soul. This musical expression is core to Manitoba’s history and has proven to be a unifying art form amidst Manitoba’s complex and multi-generational identities.
“It’s extremely important to our audiences to have a live experience of this kind of music,” says Andrew Balfour, Dead of Winter’s Artistic Director, and Canada’s leading Indigenous composer of contemporary classical music. “For us, part of our mandate is to present high-level choral music, and Monteverdi’s Vespers is one of the earliest masterpieces in the Western world. It doesn’t get any better than this for Manitobans.”
Balfour’s own artistic journey embodies two radically different identities that come to the fore through his involvement in early music performances like this one. Though he grew up as a choir boy at the All Saints Anglican Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Balfour was also a child of the Sixties Scoop. His artistic sensibilities have been shaped by these unique realities of his upbringing, each one holding tension with the other though absolutely vital to his life as an artist. Indeed, Balfour credits seminal early music works like the Vespers as foundational to his love for and success as the contemporary musician and composer he is today.
“Early music like this has helped me understand choral composition better. The cool thing is that whatever we do today as choral groups goes back to that. Haydn taught Mozart, Mozart taught Beethoven, and it’s just a continuous chain of influence across history. We’re always learning from the past to make the future fuller. All this music has continued to teach me what I want to write, as I strive to tell the stories of my Indigenous heritage through this medium.”
April 19, 2023, at 7:30 PM — Join Proximus 5 for “A Proximus Baroque” at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church (160 Ethelbert Street) in the heart of Wolseley.
In observance of the 400th anniversary of William Byrd’s death, this program will feature several of his most profound works. Byrd’s Mass for five voices will serve as the centrepiece of the program, interspersed with works by Bach, Handel, Lotti, Monteverdi, Pitoni, and Purcell.
April 22, 2023 / 7:30 PM — The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra joins Canzona for Bach’s longest and most musically complex motet, Jesu Meine Freude at the Crescent Art Centre.
Alongside this famous masterpiece, you will experience sparkling presentations of Bach’s more rarely-heard motet, “O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht,” and Handel’s “The Ways of Zion Do Mourn” sung by some of Winnipeg’s finest choristers under the baton of Artistic Director, Kathleen Allan.
Vancouver’s musica intima invites you to the Winnipeg performance of Andrew Balfour’s NAGAMO at 7:30 p.m. on March 15th at Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, in collaboration with Dead of Winter and the University of Manitoba Singers under Elroy Friesen.
Featuring Balfour’s reimagining of Elizabethan masterpieces by Byrd, Gibbons, Tallis and Purcell into Cree and Ojibway, alongside Balfour’s original works, NAGAMO offers a spellbinding glimpse into a history that might have been while exploring universal ideas of governance, diplomacy, and culture.
Tickets: General admission is $30/Student rush tickets at the door are $10
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023 // 7:30 p.m. CDT
Where: Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, 525 Wardlaw Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3L 0L9
Event art by Sonny Assu: NAGAMO, 2022, commissioned by musica intima through the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Arts Commissioning Fund.
Don’t miss out on this incredible collaboration! Tickets and more information can be found here.
“Truthtelling” through choral music: Andrew Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation concerts
January 20, 2023
Andrew Balfour’s Captive receives a standing ovation at Choral Canada’s 2022 Podium Conference and Festival in Toronto, Ontario. Photo: Roland Deschambault
Storytelling has an undeniable impact on our Canadian political imagination today. As a nation that heralds itself as multicultural, multi-ethnic, and an all-around hospitable place to live, telling individual stories—especially those belonging to the newcomer or marginalized voices among us—has become necessarily entangled in the way we understand our larger national identity.
Andrew Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation concert series is one such instance of individual storytelling turned political. Balfour, a Cree composer from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has embarked on an ambitious project to inform—and transform—the landscape of Canadian political storytelling, through fusions of musical styles and the sheer power of the human voice. In May 2022, Balfour performed the third installment of the series, Captive, a project generously supported by a Reconciliation Grant from The Winnipeg Foundation, alongside other major funding bodies like the Canada Council for the Arts, the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council. In collaboration with Dead of Winter, a Winnipeg-based choral ensemble, and a talented roster of Indigenous and Métis guest artists, Balfour presented Captive inboth Winnipeg and Toronto. Each performance was received with tremendous gratitude, a response that speaks to the powerful catharsis one can experience through artistic storytelling.
“Andrew’s direct approach, his direct words and body language, was so refreshing to witness as an Indigenous woman and artist,” reflected Cheri Maracle, an Indigenous Canadian actress who was featured as a guest artist in the Toronto performance at Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. “His artistry was captivating, evocative and true. The words hit and strung on my nerve, to where I had tears streaming down my cheeks. We know what we went through and what our ancestors went through, and what we still live. Picking up the dead pieces of colonization and claiming them is difficult for a nation. Andrew’s [work] drew attention to this reality—the bitter truths of life for us as Indigenous people—through beautiful music, voices, words and movement.”
From the beginning of his compositional career, Balfour has sought to reconcile his two worlds: the world of the sixties scoop which, growing up, led him to choral church music; and the Indigenous music he was introduced to by Elders as part of his healing journey. His earlier compositions like Wa Wa Tey Wak, Medieval Inuit, Empire Étrange and Take the Indian already showed Balfour taking on stories of the oppressed and sharing them with his audiences, combining the choral polyphony he grew up on with the visceral rhythms and keening melodies of his Indigenous heritage. In 2017, following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, Balfour began programming a series of concerts with Dead of Winter (formerly Camerata Nova), a choral ensemble he co-founded, named in reference to the group’s cold but creatively robust city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Each concert of this series is curated around a theme or concept that resonates with the Canadian Indigenous experience, particularly the mistreatment of Indigenous peoples at the hands of colonial settlers. Taken (2017) is inspired by the taking away of Indigenous cultures and languages and the physical abduction of Indigenous people; Fallen (2018) is an anti-war choral drama focusing on the stories of Indigenous men forced into military service during World War One. Then, this May, Balfour and Dead of Winter added to their growing legacy as choral storytellers with the performance of Captive. Captive speaks to the Indigenous experience of captivity, from imprisonment and struggles with addiction to the idea of captive languages and medicines. Dead of Winter, alongside an exceptional roster of Indigenous collaborators, performed Captive in Winnipeg at the West End Cultural Centre, and in Toronto at Podium, Canada’s premiere choral conference and festival. The program was received with wild success in both cities, notably by audiences made up of mostly non-Indigenous people.
“This performance wasn’t a concert; this was ceremony,” remarked a well-respected choral conductor in the Winnipeg musical community. He was certainly not alone in his experience (and his comment could very well be turned into an epigraph for Balfour’s entire series). Simeon Rusnak, who holds an education in Music History at the University of Manitoba and now hosts Morning Light, a program on Winnipeg’s Classic 107 radio station, is a long-time supporter of Balfour’s work. Reflecting on the Winnipeg performance he attended of Captive, Rusnak writes, “Captive provided a rare opportunity to sit and wrestle with emotions, confront discomfort, acknowledge wrongs, and celebrate joys. To me, this is what Andrew and his compositions do in such a deft and poignant manner: address past wrongs while also confronting current realities.” Rusnak is speaking to his personal experience of Balfour’s music as a non-Indigenous person, but his testimonial captures the broader scope of Balfour’s project: that of remembering the specificity of Indigenous peoples’ affliction and reconciling it within the collective stories of our present, and future, nation.
“We do these one-word thematic concerts — Taken, Fallen, Captive — for our non-Indigenous audiences,” says Balfour. “For instance, what’s the Indigenous perspective on “captivity”? If these concerts were specifically for Indigenous people, we would need to perform them in an Indigenous language. But we want to tell stories about misunderstandings between non-Indigenous and Indigenous peoples, making a crucial point that these stories are not ancient history, but repeat themselves into the present day.”
In the Captive program, the theme of presenting Indigenous stories to non-Indigenous audiences manifests as a palpable, musical tension. Listeners hear Western classical elements of choral composition and performance reimagined within the improvisatory nature of Indigenous styles of music-making.
“Andrew’s powerful depictions of loss and injustice come through in the startling dissonances and repeated rhythmic gestures that he uses,” remarks Mel Braun, head of the Desautels Faculty of Music vocal program at the University of Manitoba and Balfour’s collaborator, as well as a conductor on all Truth and Reconciliation concerts. Braun has spent the last 13 years working with Balfour, witnessing the growth in his compositional voice. “A sense of the land we need to get back to also comes through in the hypnotic soundscapes he creates. Is there hope? Yes, but it comes at the cost of people acknowledging past mistakes and finding new ways of living together. As Andrew often says, it’s the artists with their collaborations, not the politicians, who will show the way to true reconciliation and growth.”
The Captive program—in both cities—opened and closed with traditional Indigenous Honour and Travelling Songs performed by Ray Coco Stevenson in Winnipeg and Rosary Spence in Toronto. Dead of Winter then performed “Woman,” a riveting and emotive piece written by Kristi Lane Sinclair (her very first choral composition). Electro-acoustic violist Melody McKiver performed alongside the ensemble as a guest artist for “Woman” and “Captive” to create an eerie but stunning soundscape that set a darker tone to the program, even as the Métis fiddler, Alexandre Tétreault, dotted the poignant atmosphere with lively displays of virtuosity (to whoops and hollers from the vocalists!). At the heart of the program was Balfour’s “Captive,” inspired by the story of 19th-century Chief Poundmaker. Poundmaker had been known by his people of the Poundmaker Cree Nation as a peacemaker, but following the North-West Rebellion of 1885, he was arrested and shamefully convicted of treason. During Poundmaker’s time in prison, his health deteriorated considerably and he died of a lung hemorrhage the following year.
It’s important to highlight that Balfour prefaced the Toronto performance with a dedication to Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance, a pair of sisters from Keeseekoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, who are currently serving a life sentence for what is considered by many as a wrongful conviction. The sisters have been in prison for three decades, but in recent news, their case has been reopened for an investigation into a “miscarriage of justice.” Balfour, in his opening comments, lamented the recent case. He drew attention to it as a reminder that Poundmaker’s story of wrongful conviction belongs to the present day as much as to the past, as we continue to witness the injustices that stem from a history of poor storytelling and even poorer listening. In essence, Captive and its sister programs are a kind of call to arms, or rather, a call for better, more informed listening to those stories that appear easy to dismiss.
But what, exactly, does it look like to be a better listener? And who in our society do we trust as our storytellers? There is another looming question here that demands much more attention than a single article can offer. What is the distinction between “truthtelling” and storytelling, and what does this distinction tell us about the kinds of truths we seek, political or otherwise? These are difficult questions that may belong to a philosophical treatise sooner than a single article, though we may still use a single article—or a daring artistic project—as a platform to ask them.
“We, as artists, are truthtellers,” says Balfour. “We are the ones who are telling and respecting these stories. As in, realizing the importance of what it is we’re telling. We’re vessels for the truth. It’s not the same as government commissions or legal commissions; it’s important that we’re able to tell these stories without editing or censorship, without political delegacies. I think this is the important thing that Dead of Winter is doing, that is, making room for myself, or other Indigenous composers including Cris Derksen, Eliot Britton, Jeremy Dutcher, or any of the other guest artists we’ve worked with over the years, to tell their truth, as it is, without censorship.”
“The way he combines his influences to find new musical ways of telling stories is unique to him,” says Braun. “If anyone understands both sides of the colonial issue, it’s Andrew, because he has lived in both worlds. What he shows us in his music is how the Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities can work together side-by-side to tell stories that create a beautiful new world. If that’s not de-colonizing, nothing is.”
Balfour’s project is not just to make room for more marginalized voices to be heard, but to challenge the ways in which we hear, and thereby understand, underrepresented and difficult stories. Amid a society increasingly disillusioned with its institutions, Balfour proposes that today, it’s the artists who are responsible for transforming our collective stories. It’s our composers, singers, and musicians who are empowered to break the violent patterns in our nation’s history, through sheer resonance and effective artistry. Indeed, the remarkable malleability, dynamism and technical gifts mastered in the human voice can convey truths that are at once convincing and impossible, accessible and ceremonious—all the trappings of a good story. Or the story of a nation’s future. Who knows? Attending a choral concert could very well be one of the more revolutionary things we do this year.
« Dire la vérité » par la musique chorale : les concerts de vérité et de réconciliation d’Andrew Balfour
La narration d’histoires a un impact indéniable sur l’imagination politique canadienne d’aujourd’hui. En tant que nation qui se présente comme multiculturelle, multiethnique et accueillante, le fait de raconter des histoires individuelles – en particulier celles des personnes nouvellement arrivées ou marginalisées parmi nous – est nécessairement lié à la façon dont nous comprenons notre identité nationale.
La série de concerts sur la vérité et la réconciliation d’Andrew Balfour est l’un de ces exemples de récits individuels devenus politiques. Andrew Balfour, compositeur cri de Winnipeg, au Manitoba, s’est lancé dans un projet ambitieux visant à éclairer – et à transformer – le paysage des récits politiques canadiens, grâce à des fusions de styles musicaux et au simple pouvoir de la voix humaine. En mai 2022, il a présenté le troisième volet de sa série, Captive, un projet généreusement soutenu par une subvention de réconciliation de la Winnipeg Foundation, ainsi que par d’autres bailleurs de fonds importants comme le Conseil des Arts du Canada, le Conseil des Arts du Manitoba et le Conseil des Arts de Winnipeg. En collaboration avec Dead of Winter, un ensemble choral de Winnipeg, et un groupe d’artistes invités autochtones et métis, Andrew Balfour a présenté Captive à Winnipeg et à Toronto. Chaque représentation a été accueillie avec beaucoup de gratitude, une réaction qui témoigne de la puissante libération émotive que l’on peut éprouver en découvrant un récit artistique.
« L’approche directe d’Andrew, ses mots directs et son langage corporel, étaient si rafraîchissants à voir pour moi, en tant que femme et artiste autochtone », a commenté Cheri Maracle, une actrice canadienne autochtone qui était l’artiste invitée du concert de Toronto à la Trinity St. Paul’s United Church. « Son art était captivant, évocateur et vrai. Les mots m’ont émue et m’ont interpelée au point de faire couler des larmes sur mes joues. Nous savons ce que nous avons vécu et ce que nos ancêtres ont vécu, et ce que nous vivons encore. Ramasser les morceaux défunts de la colonisation et les revendiquer est difficile pour une nation. L’œuvre d’Andrew a attiré l’attention sur cette réalité – les vérités amères de la vie pour nous en tant qu’Autochtones – par le biais de musique, de voix, de mots et de mouvements magnifiques. »
Dès le début de sa carrière de compositeur, Andrew Balfour a cherché à réconcilier ses deux mondes : le monde de la rafle des années 1960 qui, en grandissant, l’a conduit à la musique chorale d’église, et la musique autochtone à laquelle il a été initié par des Aînés dans le cadre de son parcours de guérison. Dans ses premières compositions comme Wa Wa Tey Wak, Medieval Inuit, Empire Étrange et Take the Indian, il racontait déjà les histoires des opprimés et les partageait avec son public, en combinant la polyphonie chorale de son enfance avec les rythmes viscéraux et les mélodies plaintives de son héritage autochtone. En 2017, à la suite des audiences de la Commission de vérité et réconciliation, Andrew Balfour a commencé à programmer une série de concerts sur le thème de la vérité et de la réconciliation avec Dead of Winter (anciennement Camerata Nova), un ensemble choral qu’il a cofondé et dont le nom fait référence à la ville de Winnipeg, au Manitoba, d’où vient le groupe, une ville où il fait froid mais où la créativité est forte. Chaque concert de cette série est organisé autour d’un thème, ou concept, qui fait écho à l’expérience autochtone canadienne, en particulier les mauvais traitements infligés aux peuples autochtones par les colons, s’inspire de la négation des cultures et des langues autochtones et de l’enlèvement physique de personnes autochtones; Puis, en mai dernier, Andrew Balfour et Dead of Winter ont ajouté à leur héritage croissant de porteurs d’histoires chorales avec la représentation de Captive. Captive traite de l’expérience autochtone de la captivité, de l’emprisonnement et de la lutte contre la toxicomanie à l’idée de langues et de médecines autochtones interdites. Dead of Winter, accompagné d’un groupe exceptionnel de collaborateurs et collaboratrices autochtones, a présenté Captive à Winnipeg, au West End Cultural Centre, puis à Toronto, à Podium, la plus importante conférence et le plus important festival de chant choral au Canada. Le programme a été accueilli avec un succès fou dans les deux villes, notamment par un public composé majoritairement de personnes non autochtones.
« Cette représentation n’était pas un concert; c’était une cérémonie », a fait remarquer un chef de chœur très respecté dans la communauté musicale de Winnipeg. Il n’était certainement pas le seul à vivre cette expérience (et son commentaire pourrait très bien être transformé en épigraphe pour toute la série d’Andrew Balfour). Simeon Rusnak, qui a fait des études en histoire de la musique à l’Université du Manitoba et qui anime aujourd’hui l’émission Morning Light à la station de radio Classic 107 de Winnipeg, est un admirateur de longue date du travail d’Andrew Balfour. À propos de la représentation de Captive à Winnipeg à laquelle il a assisté, M. Rusnak écrit : « Captive a offert une rare occasion de s’asseoir et de se débattre avec ses émotions, d’affronter l’inconfort, de reconnaître ses torts et de célébrer ses joies. Pour moi, c’est ce qu’Andrew et ses compositions font d’une manière si adroite et poignante : aborder les torts du passé tout en faisant face aux réalités actuelles » Rusnak parle de son expérience personnelle de la musique d’Andrew en tant que personne non autochtone, mais son témoignage reflète la portée plus large du projet d’Andrew Balfour : celui de se souvenir de la spécificité de l’affliction des peuples autochtones et de la réconcilier avec les histoires collectives de notre nation actuelle et future.
« Nous organisons des concerts thématiques en un mot – Taken, Fallen, Captive – pour notre public non autochtone, explique Andrew Balfour. Par exemple, quel est le point de vue autochtone sur la “captivité”? Si ces concerts étaient destinés à un public autochtone, il faudrait les présenter dans une langue autochtone. Mais nous voulons raconter des histoires sur les malentendus entre les non-Autochtones et les Autochtones, en insistant sur le fait que ces histoires ne sont pas de l’histoire ancienne, mais se répètent jusqu’à aujourd’hui. »
Dans le programme Captive, le thème de la présentation d’histoires autochtones à un public non autochtone se manifeste par une tension musicale palpable. L’auditoire entend les éléments classiques occidentaux de la composition et de l’interprétation chorales réimaginés dans le cadre de la nature improvisatrice des styles musicaux autochtones.
« Les dissonances surprenantes et les gestes rythmiques répétés d’Andrew font ressortir la puissance de ses descriptions de la perte et de l’injustice », remarque Mel Braun, directeur du programme vocal de la Faculté de musique Desautels de l’Université du Manitoba, collaborateur d’Andrew et chef de chœur pour tous les concerts sur le thème de la vérité et de la réconciliation. Braun a passé les 13 dernières années à travailler avec Andrew et a été témoin de son épanouissement en tant que compositeur. « Le sentiment de la terre et de la nature que nous devons retrouver transparaît également dans les paysages sonores hypnotiques qu’il crée. Y a-t-il de l’espoir? Oui, mais il faut pour cela que les gens reconnaissent leurs erreurs passées et trouvent de nouvelles façons de vivre ensemble. Comme Andrew le dit souvent, ce sont les artistes et leurs collaborations, et non les politiciens, qui montreront la voie de la réconciliation et de la croissance véritables. »
Le programme Captive – dans les deux villes – a débuté et s’est terminé par des chants traditionnels autochtones d’honneur et de voyage interprétés par Ray Coco Stevenson à Winnipeg et Rosary Spence à Toronto. Dead of Winter a ensuite interprété « Woman », une pièce fascinante et émotive écrite par Kristi Lane Sinclair (sa toute première composition pour chorale). L’altiste électroacoustique Melody McKiver s’est produite aux côtés de l’ensemble en tant qu’artiste invitée pour « Woman » et « Captive », créant un paysage sonore sinistre mais saisissant et donnant un ton plus sombre au programme, même si le violoneux métis, Alexandre Tétreault, a parsemé cette atmosphère émouvante de vives démonstrations de virtuosité (sous les acclamations des choristes!). La pièce maîtresse du programme était « Captive » de Balfour, inspirée de l’histoire du chef Poundmaker au 19e siècle. Poundmaker était connu par son peuple de la nation crie de Poundmaker comme un conciliateur, mais après la rébellion du Nord-Ouest de 1885, il a été arrêté et honteusement condamné pour trahison. Pendant son séjour en prison, la santé de Poundmaker s’est considérablement détériorée et il est mort d’une hémorragie pulmonaire l’année suivante.
Il est important de souligner qu’Andrew Balfour a commencé la représentation de Toronto par une dédicace à Odelia et Nerissa Quewezance, deux sœurs de la Première Nation Keeseekoose en Saskatchewan qui purgent actuellement une peine de prison à vie pour ce qui est considéré par beaucoup comme une condamnation injustifiée. Les sœurs sont en prison depuis trois décennies, mais aux dernières nouvelles, leur dossier a été rouvert pour enquête sur une « erreur judiciaire ». Andrew Balfour, dans son discours d’ouverture, a déploré cette affaire récente. Il a attiré l’attention sur l’affaire pour rappeler que l’histoire de la condamnation injustifiée de Poundmaker appartient au présent autant qu’au passé, car nous continuons à être témoins des injustices qui découlent d’une histoire mal racontée et encore plus mal écoutée. En substance, Captive et ses programmes apparentés sont une sorte d’appel aux armes, ou plutôt, un appel à une écoute meilleure et plus informée de ces histoires qui semblent faciles à ignorer.
Mais comment faire pour être plus à l’écoute? Et à qui, dans notre société, faisons-nous confiance pour raconter nos histoires? Une autre question se pose ici, qui exige beaucoup plus d’attention que cet article ne peut en offrir : quelle est la distinction entre « dire la vérité » et raconter des histoires, et qu’est-ce que cette distinction nous dit sur les types de vérités que nous recherchons, politiques ou autres? Il s’agit là de questions difficiles qui relèvent davantage d’un traité philosophique que d’un seul article, bien que nous puissions quand même utiliser un seul article – ou un projet artistique audacieux – comme plateforme pour les poser.
« Nous, en tant qu’artistes, sommes des diseurs de vérité, dit Andrew Balfour. Nous sommes ceux qui racontent ces histoires avec respect. C’est-à-dire que nous réalisons l’importance de ce que nous racontons. Nous sommes des vaisseaux pour la vérité. Ce n’est pas la même chose que les commissions gouvernementales ou les commissions juridiques; il est important que nous soyons capables de raconter ces histoires sans édition ou censure, sans délégations politiques. Je pense que c’est la chose importante que fait Dead of Winter, à savoir faire de la place pour moi, ou pour d’autres compositeurs autochtones, notamment Cris Derksen, Eliot Britton, Jeremy Dutcher, ou n’importe quel autre artiste invité avec lequel nous avons travaillé au fil des ans, pour qu’ils racontent leur vérité, telle qu’elle est, sans censure. »
« La façon dont il combine ses influences pour trouver de nouvelles façons musicales de raconter des histoires lui est propre, remarque Mel Braun. Si quelqu’un comprend les deux côtés de la question coloniale, c’est bien Andrew, car il a vécu dans les deux mondes. Ce qu’il nous montre dans sa musique, c’est comment les communautés autochtones et non autochtones peuvent travailler ensemble, côte à côte, pour raconter des histoires qui créent un nouveau monde magnifique. Si cela n’est pas de la décolonisation, rien ne l’est. »
Le projet d’Andrew Balfour ne consiste pas seulement à faire de la place pour que des voix plus marginalisées puissent être entendues, mais aussi à remettre en question la façon dont nous entendons, et donc comprenons, les histoires sous-représentées et difficiles. Dans une société de plus en plus désillusionnée par ses institutions, il propose qu’aujourd’hui, ce sont les artistes qui sont responsables de la transformation de nos histoires collectives. Ce sont nos compositeurs, nos chanteurs et nos musiciens qui ont le pouvoir de briser les modèles violents de l’histoire de notre nation, par simple résonance et par un art efficace. En effet, la remarquable malléabilité, le dynamisme et les dons techniques maîtrisés par la voix humaine peuvent transmettre des vérités à la fois convaincantes et impossibles, accessibles et cérémonielles – tous les attributs d’une bonne histoire. Ou l’histoire de l’avenir d’une nation. Qui sait? Assister à un concert de chant choral pourrait très bien être l’une des choses les plus révolutionnaires que nous ferons cette année.
Sara Krahn
Visionnez la représentation complète de Captive par Dead of Winter, mai 2022.
Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew: Going to War has been making a national name for itself since its performance in November 2022 in Edmonton with the Chronos Vocal Ensemble. An anti-war mini-drama, and one of Balfour’s Truth and Reconciliation choral concerts, Notinikew will be performed again in February 2023 on two separate occasions, in two different cities. Andrew Balfour’s own vocal ensemble, Dead of Winter, will perform Notinikew in Winnipeg on February 20, and then in Montreal as part of the SMCQ (Société de musique contemporaine du Québec) Festival on February 24.
“Being invited to perform at the SMCQ Festival in Montreal is a huge honour,” says Balfour. “This is one of the foremost performing arts organizations in Montreal promoting contemporary music.” Since 2003, SMCQ has organized the MNM Festival (Montreal/New Music Festival), an international biennial festival presented in partnership with Radio-Canada and Montreal’s university sector. This year, Dead of Winter has been invited to perform Notinikew, adding to the group’s growing reputation as a nationally renowned vocal ensemble.
Balfour will spearhead both performances as Dead of Winter’s Artistic Director, alongside conductor/curator Mel Braun. The roster of guest artists for the 2023 performances includes Winston Wuttunee as narrator (MB performance), Leanne Zacharias on electro-acoustic cello, Nolan Kehler as tenor soloist, John Anderson as bass soloist, Ojibway Song Keeper Cory Campbell, and the Winnipeg Boys Choir Trebles, directed by Carolyn Boyes.
Balfour’s inspiration for Notinikew: Going to War was sparked by his love of history, particularly the European wars. “While Indigenous individuals of Canada have fought in every major conflict from the War of 1812 to Afghanistan, they were rewarded for their contributions to World War One by being denied benefits and forbidden to leave their reserves,” says Balfour.
The motivations as to why Indigenous people would fight for a country that tried to eradicate their culture fascinates Balfour. “All war is insanity,” says Balfour. “I wanted to do an anti-war piece, but also question why Indigenous people would go and fight in that war, and what would drive them to sign up and travel overseas and fight in the bloodiest conflict ever at that time.”
“Maybe they went to fight to better their cause at home; maybe they thought if they fought for Canada that the country would reward them with giving them their ceremony or language back. Maybe they had a sense of honour. Maybe they wanted adventure.”
Notinikew: Going to War is part of Andrew Balfour’s powerful Truth and Reconciliation concert series, which so far includes Taken (2017), Fallen (2018), and Captive (2022). Captive was performed last spring in Winnipeg and at the biennial Podium Festival of Canadian choral conductors and composers in Toronto, to an outpouring of acclaim. Read the full story of Captive’s success HERE.
Dead of Winter will perform Notinikew: Going to War in both Winnipeg and Montreal. See below for the full performance details:
Winnipeg performance: Monday, February 20th at 7:30 p.m., Ukrainian Labour Temple, 591 Pritchard Avenue
Montreal performance at SMCQ: Friday, February 24th at 7:00 p.m., Place des Arts
List of Performers (Winnipeg and Montreal):
Composer: Andrew Balfour
Narrator: Winston Wuttunee
Ojibway Song keeper: Cory Campbell (Winnipeg performance only)
Cello: Leanne Zacharias
Tenor Soloist: Nolan Kehler
Bass soloist: John Anderson
Winnipeg Boys Choir Trebles (Director Carolyn Boyes)
DOW Ensemble: Merina Dobson Perry, Brittany Melnichuk, Chloe Thiessen, Sara Clefstad, Angela Neufeld, Donnalynn Grills, Carlie Fehr, Nolan Kehler, David Sawatsky, Vic Pankratz, Matthew Knight, Al Schroeder, John Anderson, Caleb Rondeau
L’œuvre d’Andrew Balfour, Notinikew, traverse le pays
Notinikew : Going to War d’Andrew Balfour se fait connaître à l’échelle nationale depuis sa représentation en novembre 2022 à Edmonton avec le Chronos Vocal Ensemble. Ce minidrame anti-guerre, qui fait partie des concerts choraux de Balfour sur le thème de la vérité et de la réconciliation, sera repris en février 2023 à deux occasions et dans deux villes différentes. L’ensemble vocal d’Andrew Balfour, Dead of Winter, interprétera Notinikew à Winnipeg le 20 février, puis à Montréal dans le cadre du Festival de la Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) le 24 février.
« Le fait d’être invité à se produire au Festival de la SMCQ à Montréal est un immense honneur, affirme Andrew Balfour. Il s’agit de l’une des principales organisations des arts de la scène à Montréal qui fait la promotion de la musique contemporaine. » Depuis 2003, la SMCQ organise le Festival MNM (Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques), un festival international biennal présenté en partenariat avec Radio-Canada et le secteur universitaire de Montréal. Cette année, Dead of Winter a été invité à présenter Notinikew, renforçant ainsi la réputation croissante du groupe en tant qu’ensemble vocal de renommée nationale.
Andrew Balfour assurera la direction artistique de ces deux spectacles, aux côtés du chef de chœur et conservateur Mel Braun. La liste des artistes invités pour les représentations de 2023 comprend Winston Wuttunee en tant que narrateur, Leanne Zacharias au violoncelle électroacoustique, Nolan Kehler en tant que soliste ténor, John Anderson en tant que soliste basse, Cory Campbell, gardien de chansons ojibwé, et la section des voix hautes de la Winnipeg Boys Choir, dirigée par Carolyn Boyes.
L’inspiration d’Andrew Balfour pour Notinikew : Going to War est née de son amour de l’histoire, en particulier des guerres européennes. « Alors que les Autochtones du Canada ont combattu dans tous les grands conflits, de la guerre de 1812 à l’Afghanistan, ils ont été récompensés pour leur contribution à la Première Guerre mondiale par le refus des avantages sociaux accordés aux autres et par l’interdiction de quitter leurs réserves », explique-t-il.
Il est fasciné par les raisons qui ont poussé les Autochtones à se battre pour un pays qui a tenté d’éradiquer leur culture. « Toute guerre est une folie, dit-il. Je voulais faire une œuvre anti-guerre, mais aussi m’interroger sur les raisons qui poussaient les Autochtones à aller se battre dans cette guerre, et sur ce qui les poussait à s’engager, à se rendre à l’étranger et à se battre dans le conflit le plus sanglant jamais connu à l’époque. »
« Peut-être sont-ils allés se battre pour améliorer leur cause chez eux; peut-être pensaient-ils que s’ils se battaient pour le Canada, notre pays les récompenserait en leur rendant leurs cérémonies ou leurs langues. Peut-être avaient-ils un sens de l’honneur. Peut-être qu’ils avaient envie d’aventure. »
Notinikew : Going to War fait partie de la puissante série de concerts d’Andrew Balfour sur la vérité et la réconciliation, qui comprend jusqu’à présent Taken (2017), Fallen (2018) et Captive (2022). Captive a été présenté au printemps dernier à Winnipeg et au festival bisannuel Podium des chefs de chœur et compositeurs canadiens à Toronto, où l’œuvre a été acclamée. Lisez l’histoire complète du succès de Captive ci-dessous.
Dead of Winter présentera Notinikew : Going to War à Winnipeg et à Montréal. Voir ci-dessous pour les détails complets des représentations :
Représentation à Winnipeg : Le lundi 20 février à 19 h, Ukrainian Labour Temple, 591, avenue Pritchard.
Représentation à Montréal au Festival de la SMCQ : Le vendredi 24 février à 19 h, Place des Arts.
Liste des artistes (Winnipeg et Montréal):
Compositeur : Andrew Balfour
Narrateur : Winston Wuttunee
Gardien de chansons ojibwé :Cory Campbell (à Winnipeg seulement)
Violoncelle : Leanne Zacharias
Soliste ténor : Nolan Kehler
Soliste basse : John Anderson
Voix hautes de la Winnipeg Boys Choir (Carolyn Boyes, directrice)
Ensemble de DOW: Merina Dobson Perry, Brittany Melnichuk, Chloe Thiessen, Sara Clefstad, Angela Neufeld, Donnalynn Grills, Carlie Fehr, Nolan Kehler, David Sawatsky, Vic Pankratz, Matthew Knight, Al Schroeder, John Anderson, Caleb Rondeau
Phew! Our 2021/22 season was quite the ride, and as Dead of Winter glides into 2022/23 we’re showing no signs of slowing down. We have a season packed with rich and diverse programming, including Andrew Balfour’s Medieval Inuit and choral drama, Notinikew, as well as the 2023 Winnipeg Baroque Festival.
Check out the breakdown of our full season below, including individual concert details. We’re looking forward to singing for (and with!) you this year!
Rescheduled Performance of St. John Passion with members of the Vancouver’s Pacific Baroque Orchestra Sunday, October 2, 2022, 3:30 p.m., Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Avenue) Go to www.winnipegbaroquefestival.com
Andrew Balfour’s Medieval Inuit Saturday, October 29, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Westgate Mennonite Collegiate (86 West Gate) Join us as we perform one of Andrew Balfour’s works from his Truth and Reconciliation concert series. Inspired by Andrew’s visit to Iqaluit, Medieval Inuit captures the endless beauty and wonder of the North and features Inuit throat singers Aleatra Sammurtok and Zeann Manernaluk. We are dedicating this concert to the memory of Dead of Winter board member and long-standing board member and Manitoba Inuit Association President for several years, Fred Ford.
Please note, this will be a filmed performance (to be released as a concert film), and capacity is limited.
Celebrating the Carol Saturday, November 26, 2022, 7:30 p.m., Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Avenue) Come sing “tra-la-la” with us at our FREE, annual Dead of Winter holiday sing-along! Our singers will be joined by the changed voices division of the Winnipeg Boys Choir and co-directed by Vic Pankratz and Spencer Duncanson, performing both classic and contemporary holiday music, including a couple of special Georgian carols curated by Dead of Winter member Matthew Knight. As is our tradition, we offer free admission to our holiday concert, but we ask that you bring a food donation for Winnipeg Harvest.
Space is limited, please reserve your FREE tickets HERE
Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew (going to war) Winnipeg Performance: February 20, 2023, 7:30 p.m., Ukrainian Labour Temple (591 Pritchard Ave.) Montréal Performance: February 24, 2023, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) Notinikew, anchors an all-Andrew Balfour concert—the perfect way to celebrate Louis Riel Day. The program will open with a number of the commissions that have made Andrew one of the leading voices in Indigenous music, including “Ispichiwin,” “Omaabiindig,” and “Trapped in Stone,” as well as old favourites like “Vision Chant” and the “Domine Deus” from Missa Brevis. Notinikew, Andrew’s response to the plight of Indigenous War veterans, will close the program, its powerful lament aided by Winston Wuttunee as narrator, Leanne Zacharias on electro-acoustic cello, Nolan Kehler as tenor soloist, John Anderson as bass soloist, Ojibway Song Keeper Cory Campbell, and the Winnipeg Boys Choir Trebles, directed by Carolyn Boyes. At the invitation of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, DoW will also make its way to Montréal, where we share this same concert with new friends in Québec.
But first… Rescheduled Performance of St. John Passion with Vancouver’s Pacific Baroque Orchestra Sunday, October 2, 2022, 3:30 p.m., Crescent Arts Centre (525 Wardlaw Avenue) Go to www.winnipegbaroquefestival.com for details and to get your tickets now!
Monteverdi’s Vespers (1610) Saturday, April 15, 2023, 7:30 p.m., Westminster United Church (745 Westminister Avenue) Artistic Director: John Wiens
Jesu, meine Freude Saturday, April 22, 2023, 7:30 p.m., Westminster United Church (745 Westminister Avenue) Artistic Director: Kathleen Allan
Additional details about our 2022/23 season, including info on ticketing, will be released soon—stay tuned!
