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It’s a concert that blends the old with the new, and inspires both conversation and reflection.
The latest offering from the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra is literally called Reflections, and it offers up very personal pieces that the students that comprise the orchestra cab relate to on a very intimate level.
The concert’s centerpiece is “My Name is Amanda Todd” by the late Manitoban composer Jocelyn Morlock. It was inspired by the British Columbia teenager who took her own life back in 2012 after a campaign of online bullying and harassment against her.
“I would say that it is definitely a struggle in terms of university programming to program things that are relevant to the now,” says Monica Chen, conductor of the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, noting that there are certain pieces that the students have to play in order to gain the skills required by academia.
With that said, Chen notes that Morlock’s piece has an undeniable quality to it that made it impossible for her to ignore.
“[Morlock} though very carefully in terms of how to incorporate the idea of social media, online bullying, the little tidbits of of sounds and the little comments all throughout the piece, and it really starts from a place of, I would say, loneliness. It sounds quite lonely from the beginning,” Chen explains. “And then it blossoms into all these puckering in the woodwinds and in the percussion and it just keeps on going in waves and waves, like the online attacks.”
The piece eventually does offer the sound of hope for Chen, as though the lessons learned from the tragedy will blossom into a better world. “The emotional journey is really well thought out and it just seamlessly carries you all the way to the end. And I think the message as well, just knowing that through everything that happens, there’s always positive light that can come at the end.”
Throughout the rehearsal process, conversations about Todd’s story have been percolating amongst the musicians. Chen has tried to create a space where the students can talk freely. “Before I started this piece, I gave a little bit of a disclaimer as to what this piece was about,” she explains. “I’m always telling them, you know, ‘Do your stretches, take care of your body, don’t get sick,’ things like tat. But I just wanted to really give them a space to understand, yes, the mental health is a real thing.”
Ultimately, Chen believes that performing "My Name is Amanda Todd" has taught the students more than just the necessary skills to be an orchestra musician, but also how to handle the pressures of the musician’s lifestyle. “I’ve had students come up to me as well over the course of the rehearsal process, you know, being more transparent about things and just letting me know that they appreciated the space and the awareness for the difficulties in mental health.”
"My Name is Amanda Todd" is featured in Reflections alongside "Muskwa’s Mountain Home" by Alberta Cree composer Jessica Sparvier-Wells and Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky’s fifth symphony. Reflections takes place at 7:30 p.m. on March 28 at the Desautels Concert Hall. Tickets and more information can be found at the concert hall’s website.