Mouth of a River is an exploration of the St. Lawrence Estuary, the largest river estuary in the world. I had the privilege of spending a month exploring its waters, rocks and tides, thinking about geology, feeling its breadth/breath, and reflecting on our interaction with it. During this time, I was conscious that I was going to create something for others to perform, yet was overwhelmed by its vastness and depth and my inability to fathom its contours and history in any other way than intellectually. While composing, using a small number of photographs, videos and sound recordings I made, and other materials gathered from satellite and geological research, I chose four aspects (Tension Zone, Water & Tides, Rocks, Shipwreck) that are represented by the performers.

I would like to acknowledge the life and generosity of the land and waters of the Estuary itself and recognize with gratitude that I live as a settler on the shores of the St. Lawrence River, which are the traditional and unceded territories of many Indigenous peoples, including the Kanien’kehá:ka, the traditional stewards of the island of Montreal/Tiotià:ke where I reside, and the Huron-Wendat, and the Innu in the areas where the inspiration and materials for this work are taken. I am also grateful to the generosity of Lindsay Vickery and Grey Wing Ensemble for their willingness and creativity in performing this work for the first time. Heartfelt thanks to Lindsay Dobbin for conversations and wisdom around respectful listening and recording, and Marcia Bjornerud for her encouragement to connect with the being of landscape. This project would not have been possible without the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

You can check out the score materials here.