Vincent Ho’s Arctic Symphony
March 23rd, 2010 | By Nora Sawyer | Filed in Conservation, Current Events
Sadly, we missed the world premiere of Vincent Ho’s Arctic Symphony. The good news is, it’s available online! Here’s what the Winnipeg Free Press had to say about the piece, which debuted February 6th with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra:
The Arctic Symphony is a mature and atmospheric work that firmly establishes Ho among North American composers of note. It is a beautifully thought-provoking way to promote the message of climate change.
To write the piece, Ho traveled to the Canadian Arctic aboard a research vessel as an ‘Artist on Board’ through the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study. Ho recalls,
“I was taken on board a state-of-the-art research vessel, the CCGS Amundsen, where I was introduced to studies conducted by many of the world’s leading arctic research scientists. I was also taken to Inuit communities to learn about their culture and how the current state of the environment has impacted their way of life. The goal was to provide me with first-hand experience of the Northern region while gaining a better understanding of climate change (from both the scientific and the cultural perspective) so it may inspire the composing of a large-scale symphonic work. During my limited time there, I spent my days and nights observing the landscape. Though the information given to me from the scientists and local Inuit communities was invaluable in broadening my perspective, I ultimately felt that the musical work had to be my own interpretation of the region. Writing it from any other perspective (let it be from the scientists’ or Inuit point of view) would be creatively disingenuous and unrepresentative of my connection to the North. As well, I found myself developing a spiritual connection with the environment, and for good reason: I was in a vast open area; I was constantly being subjected to the environmental conditions of the region; and I was continually surrounded by nature’s angelic beauty, untouched by utilitarian society. I therefore felt that the music needed to express this spiritual connection that had formed.”
You can listen to the symphony here, as part of the CBC’s streaming Concerts on Demand, or visit the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study’s website to view video of Ho discussing his experiences in the Arctic.



