The story of a hummingbird who tries to put out a forest fire one beak full of water at a time is part of the PGSO family concert series and two presentations will be offered at schools on April 22, which is Earth Day, while the public performance will be at UNBC's Canfor Theatre on April 24.
The story is called The Humming Bird and the Fire and the music is by Gustav Mahler, which accompanies the Quechua story, a parable for the times, addressing the dangers of climate change and the seemingly impossible task of making a large-scale societal change.
The symphony is proud to work in partnership with Anishinaabe artist and storyteller Darin James Corbiere (Waab Shki Makwa) and English/Portuguese composer Duncan Fox to create a unique local telling of this ancient story. Corbiere, who adapted the story for this production, will host the concert, and is also bringing his own art to the performance to add a visual component to the story.
This is significantly more ambitious than the orchestra’s usual children’s programming.
The Northern Indigenous Arts Council (NIAC), has been working as consultants for the concert.
“We are very happy to be involved in this unique local project,” Diane Levesque, NIAC president, said. “It is great to see the PGSO look for ways to meaningfully incorporate local Indigenous artists into their programming.”
A digital streaming recording will be made available for free for up to one year to District 57 schools, select retirement homes, and to Indigenous community organizations.
The project is made possible by funding from the City of Prince George, through a MyPG Community Grant, and the Prince George Community Foundation.
The public performance is at UNBC's Canfor Theatre on Sunday, April 24 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for general admission, $23 for seniors, $20 under 30, $12 under 18. Subject to $1.50 box office fee, all taxes included. Tickets are available online at www.pgso.com.
