Rebecca Thomas and Symphony Nova Scotia

CONCERT INFORMATION

Featuring:
Rebecca Thomas, poet and activist
Holly Mathieson, conductor
Laura Sgroi, composer

On the Program:
Laura Sgroi: We’re Not Done Drumming *
Interactive online Q&A with Rebecca Thomas, Laura Sgroi, and Holly Mathieson

* Commissioned by Symphony Nova Scotia and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Live Post-Concert Q&A with Rebecca Thomas, composer Laura Sgroi, and Holly Mathieson:

Original performance: November 7, 2019, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, Halifax

Rebecca Thomas is a Mi’kmaw poet and activist whose poetry is “as melodic and witty as it is damning” (The Coast). Once Halifax’s Poet Laureate, now a speaker and author whose voice is heard from coast to coast, Rebecca brought her generous, powerful storytelling to Symphony Nova Scotia to deliver a captivating and challenging new work created in collaboration with Toronto composer Laura Sgroi.

Read about the music and find the full poem text here.

Discussion Questions:

  • Does what you hear sound right or accurate to you? Does it challenge what you believe history to be?
  • Do you feel angry, sad, satisfied with what you’re hearing? Why?
  • Which voice do you feel more connected to? Why?
  • Does listening to this inspire you to action? What can and will you do?