All-Indigenous musicians and singers deliver a showstopping performance

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY—A group of First Nation singers and musicians were featured during two Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra Noondaagotoon performances on April 9 and 10 in Fort William and Thunder Bay.

“It’s always great to perform with the symphony, but I thought the more awesome part for me was to see the other artists, especially the Lake Superior Women Drummers,” says Shy-Anne Hovorka, an award-winning Indigenous musician and a teacher at George O’Neill Public School in Nipigon, after the first performance. “To hear that hand drumming backed up by a symphony is such an incredible thing. And the symphony was really open to having us talk about our teachings throughout the show. It was really great entertainment, but also a great learning experience too.”

Hovorka helped the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra to organize the performances that were held at the Fort William First Nation Community Centre and the Da Vinci Centre in Thunder Bay.

“Because I had been in the industry for a while, I had some connections,” Hovorka says. “And I helped them through with some of the questions they had about working with Indigenous music…and getting them in touch with the artists.”

Hovorka enjoyed performing with the George O’Neill Public School Elementary Choir during the performance.

“These are nine-year-olds to 12-year-olds and they are singing three-part harmony songs,” Hovorka says. “I’m just blessed as a teacher to have such a wonderful group of kids to work with.”

Mona Cormier, a member of the Lake Superior Women Drummers, also enjoyed performing with the choir group.

“It was great, just great, to be singing with the young kids, and the middle ones and then us older ones,” Cormier says. “It was so nice to be welcomed and treated so kindly.”

The other guest artists included Don Amero and Indian City as well as special guest speaker Renée Toukanee.

“It was our first night of two, so I think it was great,” Amero says. “We don’t probably hear too many symphonies in bingo halls, so it was quite a treat. For me as a musician, the dream is always to have a symphony to play along, and it was definitely a dream come true. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Vince Fontaine, one of the members of Indian City, which was a 2018 Juno Award nominee for Indigenous Music Album of the Year, says it was an honour to perform in Fort William.

“It was pretty awesome that they ended with a travelling song and the women’s drum group,” Fontaine says. “It’s just the way we do things as Ojibwa, and I’m just really happy to be here and be a part of it.”

Ruby Martin, a member of the Lake Superior Women Drummers, says it was a real honour to perform with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra.

“It’s nice to have two cultures together for the first time,” Martin says. “I’m really enjoying it. I think the symphony orchestra is just super. The music is just fantastic.”

Simon Rivard, the conductor of the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, says the first performance was “incredible.”

“This show has been a little bit of a challenge to put together, but the end result is breathtaking,” Rivard says. “All the performers were so into it and the drumming circle was incredibly generous with their music. The highlight was Supernation, the last song we sang [with] everybody together. The choir, the audience, the orchestra, everybody sang at the end. It was really great.”