Ningodwaaswi and Niizh

Performed by violist and UBC School of Music faculty member Marina Thibeault and presented in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples and communities affected by the atrocities committed in Canada’s residential school system, this exclusive video excerpt from Marina’s 2021 Dot Com Series concert features two beautiful pieces of music written by Anishinaabe musician and composer Melody McKiver. 

Ningodwaaswi and Niizh are dedicated to the memory of McKiver’s grandmother Waa’oo Kathleen Bunting-iban, a survivor of the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora, Ontario.

These works were originally written for viola and electronics. Acoustic arrangement was made by François Vallières, in collaboration with Melody McKiver.