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Rooted in the Anishinaabe aural/oral traditions of singing, drumming and the pipigwan/bbigon (cedar flute) from a young age, I am also classically-trained in piano and other European instruments, Western music theory and composition technique. Over many years I have also worked closely and collaboratively with musicians of diverse ethnicities who are the grassroots knowledge-keepers of their cultures.
I studied music composition formally at the University of Toronto, Royal Conservatory of Music/Glenn Gould School, Musikhochschule in München (Germany), and Centre Acanthes (France). My foremost teachers in the Western Classical tradition are Grace Vandendool, Dr. Samuel Dolin, Art Levine, Sasha Rapaport, Edward Laufer, Robert Saxton, Sir Peter Maxwell-Davies and Helmut Lachenmann.
As the child and grandchild of residential school survivors, I carry responsibility to my family and elders, and this is woven into my ongoing creative and teaching work according to the 94 Calls to Action recommended through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission inquiry. As the direct descendant of hereditary chiefs who were signatories of treaties in Ontario, I follow the responsibilities of my dodem and acknowledge that learning is a life journey. Research—seeking to know—is a kind of ceremony and process, and Indigenous protocols stem from mino bimaadiziwin, passed down from our ancestors.
- Member of the Order of Canada
- Officer of the Order of Ontario
- Dora Awards Nominee
- Visual and Expressive Arts Program Award (National Museum of the American Indian)
- Royal Conservatory of Music/Glenn Gould School Scholarships (1992-96)
- National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation Awards (1993-98)
- Glenn Gould Award in Composition (University of Toronto, 1989)
As an Anishinaabekwe my life work—as a composer, musician, singer, performer, educator and environmentalist—is rooted in traditional Anishinaabeg teachings and draws on the wisdoms that the non-human beings teach us. Teaching and learning embodies dialogue—respecting, listening, guiding and humility. Every person has a creative inner-voice that is unique and which holds a wider purpose beyond the self.
My teaching experience in music composition draws on decades of work as a composer/performer with soloists, chamber musicians, orchestras, opera/theatre and film directors, conductors, choreographers, dancers, actors and visual artists of diverse cultural backgrounds. The bulk of my work involves collaborations with fellow Indigenous artists, educators, scholars, community leaders and elders.
2024
- Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies) for solo piano; live-streamed and repeat streams of performances by Demi-finale pianists in the 2024 Concours musicale international de Montréal (CMIM): Elias Ackerley, UK; Antonio Chen, CN/US; Carter Johnson, CA; Arisa Onoda, JP; Derek Wang, US; Gabriele Strata, IT; Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, CA; Michelle Candotti, IT; Anthony Ratinov, US; Jakub Kuszlik, PL; (Performance Prize Awarded to Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, CA).
2022
- Mnidoonskaa, Ntam Ginjigan (An Abundance of Insects, Book I; 2021) for solo piano; Philip Chiu: Fables. ATMA Classique, 2022. (Juno Award: Classical Album - Solo, 2023)
2025
- Featured First Nations composer for Orchestre Metropolitain European tour (Brussels, Paris, Vienna, Hamburg, Baden-Baden) with Eko-Bmjiwang (As Long in Time as the River Flows, 2021) conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin
- Featured First Nations composer by the Philadelphia Orchestra with Eko-Bmijwang (2021) under the baton of conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Marion Anderson Hall, Philadelphia)
- First Nations composer for educational school tours with Makizin Waawaaskonenh (Mocassin Flower, 2017) , a Truth and Reconciliation initiative in Laval, Quebec by the Orchestre Symphonique de Laval (OSL), featuring narrator/singers Elisabeth Saint-Gelais (Innue) and Émilie Monnet (Algonquin), the OSL string quartet
2024
- Featured First Nations composer in European premiere of Zasakwaa (2018) by Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB), a work with original text in Anishinaabemowin (by Barbara Assiginaak) for mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne (QC) and chamber string orchestra with flute soloist Eric Bescond under the baton of guest conductor Anna Duczmal-Mróz (PL)
- Featured compulsory contemporary Canadian solo piano work, Mzizaakok Miiniwaa Mzizaakoonsak (Horseflies and Deerflies) for the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM), with live and repeat broadcasts of Demi-finale internationally
- Featured First Nations composer hosted by Jeunesses Musicales Canada (JMC) in performance of selected art songs in Anishinaabemowin (texts by Barbara Assiginaak) by Innue soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais with pianist Louise Pelletier
2023
- Salle Bourgie and Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal (MBAM) National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event with world premiere of commissioned work (text in French and Innue, by Maya Cousineau Mollen) performed by Innue soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais. Presented by Journée national de la vérité et de la réconciliation and Journées de la culture (Montréal)
- World premiere of commissioned work, Kikzootaadwak Orchestral Suite (from opera Kikzootaawak/They Are Playing Hide-and-Seek), with the National Academy Orchestra (NAO) under the baton of Alain Trudel and with Barbara Assiginaak as pipigwan soloist
- World premiere of commissioned work, Gwekaanmat (Wind Changes) a concerto for pipigwan (with Barbara Assiginaak performing as pipigwan soloist) and chamber string orchestra, with Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM) under baton of guest conductor Nurham Arman
- Recital performance by Innue soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais of aria Nmakaan’jik! (I’ve Come Upon a Stash!, from opera Kikzootaadwak, 2020-21; original libretto in Anishinaabemowin by Barbara Assiginaak) and Nbezhgooshokiinzhgweyaap (I Can See Out of One Eye, from oratorio Miziwe …, 2019; original text also by Barbara Assiginaak in Anishinaabemowin)
2022
- Noon Hour Series performance of Lullaby with Penderecki String Quartet (with Barbara Assiginaak as pipigwan soloist)
- Outdoor summer festivals performances in Québec of commissioned work, Eko-Bmijwang (2021) with Orchestre Metropolitain under conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, including OM at the foot of Mont Royal attended by nearly 50,000 people
- Recital performances of set of solo piano pieces—Mnidoonskaa, Ntam Ginjigan (An Abundance of Insects, Book I; 2021): Montpellier Bridge, Vermont; Toronto Summer Music (TSM)
- Recital performance by Innue soprano Elisabeth Saint-Gelais of aria Nmakaan’jik! (I’ve Come Upon a Stash!, from opera Kikzootaadwak, 2020-21; original libretto in Anishinaabemowin also by Barbara Assiginaak) for the Wirth Vocal Prize (First Prize Awarded to Elisabeth Saint-Gelais)
I have served on the Indigenous Research Ethics Review Advisory Board at York University, served on the Advisory Board of FNCI (First Nations Composers Initiative), and previously lead a working group for the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility) initiative for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (KWS), for which I am also a donor and volunteer supporter ongoing. At the Faculty of Music at Laurier, I have served on several committees, including the Inclusive Excellence (Black Scholars, Faculty of Music) and the Senate Committee on Research and Publication (SCRAP). I continue to volunteer my time as an adjudicator at several competitions for emerging composers of diverse cultures and voices.
My parallel work in outdoor environmental education rooted in Anishinaabek teachings over the span of two decades continues to inform my earth-waters-and-skies protectorship concerns and purpose that infuses my teaching, creativity, and interactions with everyone. Taking part in traditional ceremonies and as a Shkaabewis with recognized elders continues to be an important part of my life-work and purpose.
My parallel work in outdoor environmental education rooted in Anishinaabek teachings over the span of two decades continues to inform my earth-waters-and-skies protectorship concerns and purpose that infuses my teaching, creativity, and interactions with everyone. Taking part in traditional ceremonies and as a Shkaabewis with recognized elders continues to be an important part of my life-work and purpose.
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