“The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has won its first Juno award with the score for a Royal Winnipeg Ballet production about the impacts of residential schools on survivors and their families,” writes Donna Lee on Sunday (4/2) at CBC.ca (Canada). Under Canada’s system of residential schools operated from 1876 to 1996, Native children were removed from their culture and placed in special boarding schools for the purpose of assimilating them into the dominant Canadian culture. “The two-CD album for Going Home Star—Truth and Reconciliation won a Juno on Saturday for classical album of the year by a large ensemble or soloist(s) with large ensemble accompaniment. Composed by Christos Hatzis, the score features performances by the orchestra, Steve Wood and the Northern Cree Singers, and Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq.… Choreographed by Mark Godden and based on a story by novelist Joseph Boyden, Going Home Star expresses residential school survivors’ stories through dance and music.” Said WSO Executive Director Trudy Schroeder, “It is an important and tragic and powerful story that needed to be told…. This is so beautifully a Manitoba, Winnipeg project…. It’s wonderful to have the win, but it’s really wonderful to have it connected to this project.”
Posted April 5, 2017
