Norway House students to perform their own song of reconciliation with National Arts Centre Music Director Alexander Shelley at CMHR

May 18, 2016

Media advisory / photo opportunity

Winnipeg – May 18, 2016 – Talented young musicians from Norway House in northern Manitoba will perform an original song they wrote about the tragic legacy of Indian Residential Schools during an event on May 24 organized by the National Arts Centre (NAC) and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

One of five Indigenous youth groups in Canada to participate in the NAC’s Rita Joe Song Project, the seven high school students from Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre will travel to Winnipeg for a showcase at the CMHR led by NAC Orchestra Music Director Alexander Shelley and hosted by Aboriginal People’s Television Network Chief Operating Officer Sky Bridges.

Their song, “The Voices I Gained,” was inspired by late Mi’kmaw elder Rita Joe C.M.’s poem “I Lost My Talk,” which expresses the pain of her experience at residential school. The NAC developed this song project in response to Joe’s call for Indigenous youth to find their voices, share their stories and celebrate their talents. In Manitoba, the project was delivered through the NAC’s Music Alive Program in partnership with the Frontier School Division.

What:           Interview / photo opp. with Norway House music students, NAC and teaching artists

When:          Tuesday, May 24, 11 a.m.

(Showcase begins at 12 p.m.  – see attached agenda)

Where:         CMHR, 85 Israel Asper Way

ILR5