Manaadjia
In 2022 I was awarded the Inaugural Nada Ristich Changemaker Award from Opera Canada. This life time achievement award recognized my vocal career and my impact as an agent for change in the opera field. As an artist with a wide breadth of expressive disciplines, with a mature understanding of who I am and the impact I am able to have, I am engaged in evolving my artistic practice. Now is the moment to bring my whole self to my classical operatic world through challenging traditional compositions, sound making/singing and the language of ‘excellence’ in my field, and a deep desire to support the next generation of artist through this change making work. I am taking a courageous step forward in my personal artistic practice as I uncover, through non-traditional means, a new creative pedagogy. Specifically, I am weaving my cultural way of being into all parts of my professional artistic practice (singer/ performer) and expanding my practice to include song creation/writing in deconstructing traditional western music and creating new songs that embody my traditional Métis teachings while working in the most restrained and traditional of fields- western classical music.
I began this work in in 2020 and then took the next steps in 2022, with a grant, both times, from the First People’s Cultural Council of British Columbia. They supported the first steps in creating a land-based writing and composition practice where I engaged with knowledge keepers and Elders to understand music from an Indigenous cultural perspective. My vision was to inspire the next generation of Métis and urban Indigenous who were culturally disconnected to create new songs and stories. The resulting piece I created is under the working title: Manaadjia, an Anishinaabe word that means ‘to take care of our people for a long time’.
The project mixed my classical world with new stories, monologues and my own compositions. In April 2023, Manaadjia received its first public performance at the Incoming Festival, which features new works and is hosted by Intrepid Theatre Victoria BC. Elements from this performance have continued to be developed through residencies/performances at the University of Victoria- Indigenous Cabaret, University of Manitoba and with Bard College- ReThinking Place Conference, all in 2023. What I learned through these public events is that my work was not only for Métis and urban Indigenous to be empowered to create new songs and stories from their cultural walk, but also those of mixed race and of mixed identities who desperately want to bring their whole selves into their institutional space. Manaadjia inspired people to explore their own identities and their connection to place.
My vision is to create a way of making art that reflects a creative process based in relationship to land, identity, connecting to Mother Earth, through teachings shared with me by knowledge keepers and Elders, and ultimately to be able to share this reclaimed creative path with others as they look to take their whole selves into their artistic practice.
Born during the pandemic, Manaadjia is evolving. In December of 2022 I was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from First People’s Cultural Council grant to take the time to decolonize my creative process as I write stories and songs to be shared in a short one act show, with accompanying workshop. The vision I have is to support the next generation from my Métis community to embrace their identity and revitalize our people by writing new stories and songs. You can learn more about this creative journey on the blog.
The project mixed my classical world with new stories, monologues and my own compositions. In April 2023, Manaadjia received its first public performance at the Incoming Festival, which features new works and is hosted by Intrepid Theatre Victoria BC. Elements from this performance have continued to be developed through residencies/performances at the University of Victoria- Indigenous Cabaret, University of Manitoba and with Bard College- ReThinking Place Conference, all in 2023. What I learned through these public events is that my work was not only for Métis and urban Indigenous to be empowered to create new songs and stories from their cultural walk, but also those of mixed race and of mixed identities who desperately want to bring their whole selves into their institutional space. Manaadjia inspired people to explore their own identities and their connection to place.
Manaadjia was in workshop in August of 2021, on Mayne Island with Johnny Aitken. I owe him so much and a debt of gratitude for our explorations.
My aria/drum song culminated in a short film- The Earth Sings, which shares the aria transformed into a traditional song, and is part of the digital offering ‘Mother’. My immense gratitude goes to my cousin and sister, Lindsay Delaronde, for her mentorship and collaboration on this vision. You can view it here. https://youtu.be/wfvAzDgfNyw
‘Mother’, a collective film project, was shared in October of 2021 at The Belfry with many of the artists in the house. My short film was shared with other video elements and songs, as part of the ‘Weesageechak Begins to Dance Festival 34 in November of 2021.
And this journey couldn’t even have begun without Rene Meshake, who continues to share teachings, language and creative joy with me. And it couldn’t continue without his vision of what we can create together.
Rene Meshake
An Ojibwe funky elder, visual and performing artist, award-winning author, storyteller, flute player, new media artist and a Recipient of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. He works to fuse Ojibwe and English words into his stories, poetry and spoken word performances, Rene communicates his Ojibwe spiritual heritage to the contemporary world. He was born in the railway town of Nakina in Northwestern Ontario and was raised by his Okomissan grandmother. His education includes: Anishinaabe oral tradition, language, arts and culture. Rene has a diploma in Graphic Design from Sheridan College and a certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers. Rene’s body of artwork, stories and his flute improvisations create a strong, expressive, and entertaining presentation for an ever-increasing audience. He also has an active on-line and performing presence as a Funky-Elder and his ‘virtual’ band, The Firebolt Ensemble.