You know you’re doing well when a new tie or pair of socks just won’t do anymore.
Former Prime Minister Joe Clark’s wife, Maureen McTeer gave the ultimate gift for his 75th birthday: a commissioned work in his name by Alberta-based composer John Estacio. Clocking in at over 20 minutes, the new work will début as part of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s 2015-16 season.
“We wanted to find something that we could share beyond Joe, a gift larger than one event and larger than one kind of gift.” McTeer said.
Estacio, also from Alberta, stated that while such gifts are common in the visual art world, they are rare for music. Though he has not started it yet, McTeer has personally requested the new piece somehow reflect Canada as a whole, and also include nods to regional traits across the country.
Clark has been a known supporter of music funding in Canada, and has been a vocal critic of current PM Harper’s cuts to arts funding.
In an interview with FFWD regarding Harper’s funding cuts to PromArt, a $4.5-million program that offers grants to help Canadian artists take their work overseas, Clark stated, “Part of the reason that Canada’s international reputation has been so strong is that it has so many rich strands — trade, culture, military strength, skilled diplomacy, peacekeeping, humanitarian action. And for some reason the Harper government keeps narrowing that broad image down to the military and trade.”
Let’s hope this trend continues, as the sound of music is not only a gift to Clark, but to all of us.
Michael Vincent