Camerata Nova’s Andrew Balfour has a story to tell. As one of the adopted First Nations children of the “Sixties Scoop”, Balfour has spent years reconciling himself with his identity, and how it fits into the modern political landscape.

His performance art piece, Take the Indian, which premiered at the 2015 Winnipeg New Music Festival, was Balfour’s first attempt to give an artistic voice to his journey. Through the lens of his own personal experiences, Take the Indian also commented on the injustices suffered by the First Nations people through the Residential School System.

This year’s work, to be performed by Camerata Nova with special guest Cory Campbell, is set to premier as part of the Witness Blanket Exhibition at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. It is meant to be a fuller vision of Balfour’s work at the WSO's New Music Festival last year.

Take the Indian: A Vocal Reflection on Missing Children crosses the boundary between art and life - delving into Balfour’s experience growing up in a white family with Scottish roots, while also exploring the broader question of where his story fits into Winnipeg’s multicultural landscape.

“Andrew has been on an interesting journey,” says Sandi Mielitz, President of Camerata Nova, and a significant friend and support to Balfour through his creative projects.

“If you go back quite a few years ago, Andrew was an All Saints anglican priest’s son. He knew he was Cree, but that was not his identity. Over the years he gotten more and more in touch with his identity and surrounding Indigenous community, developing great friends in the Indigenous community, which has opened up so many doors for him. Now he is apart of both communities in a pretty unique way. He can truly see both sides of the problem, and seems to work as an excellent bridge between them.”

“People ask me ‘What does it mean to feel Aboriginal?’” says Balfour. “Is it a feather in your hat? Is it beads? A Pow Wow? No I don’t think so. For me, the idea of being Aboriginal was such a foreign concept growing up. I was a choirboy, who sang Palestrina and Mozart. I wasn’t exposed to my roots until much later in life.”

Balfour’s hope is that Take the Indian will work to open up many of today’s cultural stereotypes surrounding the First Nations communities. However, he also wants to emphasize that the work is about his own personal experience, and focuses more on the journey-aspect rather than the issues of his cultural past.

“My personal experience is really the only thing I have. And I’m definitely a musician who has had alot of experience, but I also can’t think too deeply about my past issues. Because it’s all a journey.”

Camerata Nova, a Winnipeg-based vocal ensemble for whom Balfour has served as an artistic director for 20 years, has also been a vital part of his identity and experience in Winnipeg.

“Camerata has taken me all over the country, offering me support and employment. The choir has basically made my career - I certainly wouldn’t have gotten to this place without my experience with Camerata. The choir is my instrument!”

Take the Indian: A Vocal Reflection on Missing Children premieres at The Canadian Museum for Human Rights, on Wednesday, May 25th @ 7:00 PM. The evening will also include a traditional smudging ceremony and a panel discussion with Andrew Balfour and elders who are residential school survivors.

Tickets:

$18/Adult

$12/Student

Location: Bonnie & John Buhler Hall