Sounding Thunder on the horizon

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This article was published 31/05/2024 (501 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Agassiz Chamber Music Festival will trumpet the legacy of a lesser-known Canadian war hero next weekend when it presents the Manitoba première of Sounding Thunder, The Song of Francis Pegahmagabow.

The weeklong festival titled Sounds in the Key of Spring offers a lineup of nightly concerts, masterclasses, recitals and even late-night jazz, taking place (mostly) at the Canadian Mennonite University’s Laudamus Auditorium from Sunday to next Saturday.

“We’re going in a slightly different direction from anywhere we’ve been before with this year’s festival, so that’s been really exciting,” says Agassiz’s founding artistic director/cellist Paul Marleyn over the phone from his home in Ontario, where he teaches at the University of Ottawa.

Sounding Thunder — a 65-minute mulitmedia touring production led by Larry Beckwith and co-created by award-winning Ojibwa author Armand Garnet Ruffo and Juno-nominated composer Timothy Corlis — chronicles the life of Anishinaabe First World War scout and sniper Francis (Peggy) Pegahmagabow.

Born into the Caribou Clan in 1889, Pegahmagabow is one of the most decorated Indigenous soldiers in Canadian military history, as well as its most accomplished sniper of the war.

After the war, in April 1919, he returned to Wasauksing First Nation, located near Parry Sound, Ont., where he served as chief and councillor, hailed for his passionate advocacy. He is credited with being a founder of the early Indigenous political movement in Canada.

The father of six died in Wasauksing in 1952 at age 61, and a commemorative, life-sized bronze statue was erected in his honour at Parry Sound to mark National Aboriginal Day on June 21, 2016. The Bank of Canada has also shortlisted the soldier to appear on its newly designed five-dollar bill.

One of Pegahmagabow’s great-grandsons is Dr. Brian McInnes, also a member of Wasauksing First Nation, whose award-winning book, Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Pegahmagabow, became the genesis for the collaborative show.

The writer explains the origin of the evocative title of his heartfelt tribute to his ancestor, which weaves together Objiwe oral history, cultural, spiritual and linguistic insights, and personal family lore.

“Thunder, more specifically the Thunder Beings whose voice we hear in an approaching storm, is a sacred element to the Ojibwe people,” McInnes shares via email from Wisconsin, where he serves on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin.

“It is a voice that is both calming and peaceful, but also powerful and sometimes startling. We are reminded to be respectful, contemplative and reflective during these moments.

“Francis was, and continues to be, the Sounding Thunder for us all.”

McInnes will reprise his role of narrator next weekend, with the ensemble also featuring Anishinaabe artists: vocalist/drummer Jodi Contin from Wasauksing, and actor Keenan Keeshig, who brings Pegahmagabow to life for new generations.

Sounding Thunder takes place June 8 at 7:30 p.m. at Jubilee Place Concert Hall, 181 Riverton Ave. Additional free performances will be held for Indigenous veterans, their families and community members on June 4 at 7:30 p.m., followed by two shows for an estimated 1,600 Manitoba high school students on June 5.

A post-show Q&A session hosted by Andrea Ratuski will follow the Saturday performance.

The local première marks the first time Sounding Thunder has been presented outside Ontario, with Corlis’s newly expanded score now incorporating an A-list of internationally renowned chamber musicians, both local and from across Canada, including legendary clarinettist James Campbell.

Campbell originally commissioned the work in 2018 as a Canada 150 project for his own annual summer event, Festival of the Sound (FOTS), which he has helmed since 1985, lauding the work as “one of the most important projects FOTS has undertaken in its 45-year history.”

“The statue of Francis Pegahmagabow stands proudly outside the Stockey Centre in Parry Sound, reminding us of the power of his story,” Campbell says via email.

“I thought that as meaningful as the statue is, it cannot move; one must come to it. His story needs to be told far and wide, and what better way than through music and narration?”

McInnes himself played an instrumental role in bringing the show to Winnipeg, regularly meeting with artistic director/cellist Marleyn and others via Zoom for thought-provoking, timely discussions related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. One of Sounding Thunder’s most avid supporters is former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair, who declared, “I am overwhelmed by this amazing performance and the story it tells,” after witnessing the show in Kingston, Ont.

The advisory group also shared potent ideas about how projects such as Sounding Thunder can inspire new generations while bridging cross-cultural divides and building harmony amongst communities in a spirit of mutual respect, empathy and deeper understanding.

“Creative and inspired works such as Sounding Thunder help us understand why truth and reconciliation is important in the first place. We have to believe in something if we are going to invest in it,” McInnes says.

One of the show’s most powerful moments comes near the end, with music becoming a common tongue between listeners and performers. Contin, who begins the piece with a prologue honouring the four directions, ends with a traditional travelling song, sending “Peggy” on his final journey to the spirit world.

Audience members are invited to join her in song, creating a deeply moving, immersive experience in which all raise their voices together as one.

“Sounding Thunder is a powerful and unforgettable show that teaches us about a side of our history, present and future that all Canadians need to know about,” McInnes says. “It honours our veterans, lifts the Indigenous voices and builds a space for everyone to participate going forward. This is Truth and Reconciliation in motion.”

holly.harris@shaw.ca