Traditional aboriginal drumming blended with contemporary arrangements of First Nations, Me’tis and Inuit songs. It has been a challenging experience, and a growing experience, for the young voices of Guelph Youth Singers. Now they are ready to share.
The singers have been in rehearsal with Guelph’s Numgumook Kwe Drum Circle, preparing a repertoire called Honour Song. A one-hour performance of the unique collaboration happens Sunday at The Frank Hasenfratz Centre of Excellence, 700 Woodlawn Road W.
The centre is a research and development facility of automotive parts maker Linamar. It holds R&D facilities, as well as conference halls. The large, open Tech Hall, the building’s atrium, will serve as a concert hall for a performance that begins at 3 p.m. Sunday.
“It has been a spiritually fulfilling experience to share traditional drumming styles with the more contemporary arrangements of First Nations, Me’tis and Inuit songs,” said Jan Sherman, a co-founder, along with Lois Macdonald, of the local drum circle.
“There has been deep respect shown by the members of the Guelph Youth Singers with regard to honouring our teaching of reciprocal respect,” Sherman added.
The singers presented the drum group with a tobacco offering wrapped in red cloth, a gesture of assurance that nothing would be done to offend First Nations, Me’tis and Inuit, and that the diversity of the three distinct peoples would be reflected in the songs.
“It has definitely been a community-building relationship, and we hope to continue to strengthen this relationship in the the future,” she added.
This is Guelph Youth Singers’ 25th year. The award winning choir is dedicated to fostering the artistic capacities and musical skills of children and youth. There are about 90 young choristers.
The 25th anniversary season will be a year of celebration, with guest artist performances, and newly commissioned works introduced.
Cathy Meggison, administrator of Guelph Youth Singers, said Honour Song has been a challenging and deeply rewarding project for participants.
“It is a really unexplored sound for our choir,” Meggison said. “It’s been very challenging, but exciting for our kids to learn. It’s not a typical repertoire. They had to learn how to make different sounds, and lyrically it has a whole different pattern. This is brand new.”
She described the collaboration between the drum circle and choir as a partnership. A friendship ceremony to begin that partnership was an important part of the relationship. It’s a different kind of direction for the choir, and it has great value, Meggison added.
“It’s just opening up a new way of looking at things, hearing things, and experiencing things,” she said. “And also just exploring this culture. Jan Sherman is a story telling, and the kids are going to learn a lot.”
A medicine wheel seating and performance format will be used, and the songs of aboriginal culture from all parts of the country will be represented. There is also an opportunity for audience participation.
Connecting with the aboriginal culture and heritage in our area is very important, Meggison added.
“This is something that’s really part of our own community,” she said. “We’ve never had this interaction before. It’s definitely about awareness.”
Tickets for the concert at $25, $20 for seniors and students, and are available online through the River Run Centre. Visit http://guelphyouthsingers.com/anniversaryconcertinfo.html, and scroll down the concert listings.
The collaboration has been supported by the Musagetes Fund.
