Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In crafting this piece, the composer chose an outsider’s perspective, inspired by the strength and resilience of friends and colleagues who have experienced sexual violence. While deeply aware of their suffering, the composer was profoundly moved by their courage in confronting and processing this trauma. The focus of the work is not on the trauma itself, but on honoring the strength and dignity of these remarkable individuals.
Given the nature of the class action and the immense bravery required to share such personal experiences, the composer envisioned the piece as a collective surge of energy: a powerful statement of defiance and reclamation. As the composition progresses, it builds to a climactic assertion of strength and control. The concluding consonant harmonies symbolize not a resolution, but a reclaiming of narrative control, celebrating the inherent beauty and integrity of survivors as resilient and whole individuals.
Commissioned by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in response to the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct Class Action, this work is dedicated to all survivors of sexual trauma in the military. It premiered on February 10, 2023, performed by the Naden Band of the RCN and the University of Victoria Wind Symphony, under the direction of Captain Catherine Norris, the Commanding Officer of the Central Band.
In crafting this piece, the composer chose an outsider’s perspective, inspired by the strength and resilience of friends and colleagues who have experienced sexual violence. While deeply aware of their suffering, the composer was profoundly moved by their courage in confronting and processing this trauma. The focus of the work is not on the trauma itself, but on honoring the strength and dignity of these remarkable individuals.
Given the nature of the class action and the immense bravery required to share such personal experiences, the composer envisioned the piece as a collective surge of energy: a powerful statement of defiance and reclamation. As the composition progresses, it builds to a climactic assertion of strength and control. The concluding consonant harmonies symbolize not a resolution, but a reclaiming of narrative control, celebrating the inherent beauty and integrity of survivors as resilient and whole individuals.
Commissioned by the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy in response to the CAF-DND Sexual Misconduct Class Action, this work is dedicated to all survivors of sexual trauma in the military. It premiered on February 10, 2023, performed by the Naden Band of the RCN and the University of Victoria Wind Symphony, under the direction of Captain Catherine Norris, the Commanding Officer of the Central Band.
