One song: A medley of voices
Canada itself is a celebration of diversity.
Different people, with different voices who understand their voices will be heard.
It’s those voices that we wanted to capture and celebrate leading up to Canada’s 150th birthday.
In that spirit, we asked people to sing O Canada and allow us to record them on video. Then we edited all the raw footage to assemble their voices together, into one collaborative anthem.
The result is one song, with a medley of diverse, distinct voices.
The Reeds, a harmonica band whose members from across the region gather for Friday morning rehearsals, played our national anthem under the baton of its director and founding member, Bob Brion.
Cultural ambassadors from the Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre sang for us.
Two students from Jeanne Sauve French Immersion Public School in St. Catharines — Cadence King and Olivia Trochta — gave us a rendition in Canada’s other official language.
Grade 9 and 10 vocal music students at Welland Centennial Secondary School sang a twopart acapella version of O Canada, arranged by the school’s music teacher, David Braun.
If you listen closely, the melody is the original, but the supporting harmony is what gives the piece a unique sound from the 26 vocalists.
“The idea is to evoke more meaning in a familiar text,” said Braun. “The approach is to create a harmony that allows you to have a reflective performance.” To have pride in Canada. He created the arrangement a couple years back, and when there’s a special occasion like graduation or convocation, he pulls it out.
The melody is like the canvas of a painting. The harmony is the colour, the paint, he said.
The students sing from the heart. “And the harmonies allow them to dig their heels into the text of the anthem, to stand true.”
And Momentum, a choir made up of the voices of 60-plus people who live with a disability, presented the song true to its original version, along with choir member Sherri Bird who provides her version in sign language.
“We believe it should just be sung and not performed, to honour the song,” said director Mendelt Hoekstra.
“The song is about our country and not about us.”
Momentum has performed the piece at an Ice Dogs game, and at the Meridian Centre.
“Not only is it celebration of our country, when Momentum sings, it adds an extra celebration of how great our country is.
“We support people who need support. We try to be an inclusive society.”