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Laura Sgroi (b. 1986) & Rebecca Thomas (b. 1986)
We're Not Done Drumming
Composed: 2018
Premiered: 2019, Kitchener-Waterloo
Duration: 15 minutes


Rebecca Thomas writes: “Canada has tricked us into believing it was right. It has spun a narrative that places Indigenous peoples as primitive, in need of oversight and guardians. We are taught that colonization brought Indigenous-Settler relations.

“The first movement signifies pre-contact. This movement is meant to convey confidence, safety, and assurance. Furthermore, it’s to show that there was a thriving civilization prior to Europeans invading what is currently known as Canada.

“The second movement is more aggressive and militant. It’s systematic, almost mechanical in its approach and sound. The violence that Indigenous peoples faced is often erased or downplayed as a product of its time. This movement is supposed to make the audience uncomfortable with this history. When creating it, both the writer and composer wanted to capture the perception that European settlers had to justify the subjugation and oppression of Indigenous people, while masking it as benevolence. Here, the first peoples are clearly suffering with little to no regard given to them.

“Finally, the third movement is the reclamation of sovereignty and self-governance of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous people are still here. In addition to the survival of Indigenous peoples, the culture and languages of many continue to thrive. Though it can never be what it was in the first movement, there is hope that we can move forward.”

We’re Not Done Drumming is a collaboration between composer Laura Sgroi and poet Rebecca Thomas. It is a co-commission by Symphony Nova Scotia and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Laura Sgroi (b. 1986) & Rebecca Thomas (b. 1986)
We're Not Done Drumming
Composed: 2018
Premiered: 2019, Kitchener-Waterloo
Duration: 15 minutes


Rebecca Thomas writes: “Canada has tricked us into believing it was right. It has spun a narrative that places Indigenous peoples as primitive, in need of oversight and guardians. We are taught that colonization brought Indigenous-Settler relations.

“The first movement signifies pre-contact. This movement is meant to convey confidence, safety, and assurance. Furthermore, it’s to show that there was a thriving civilization prior to Europeans invading what is currently known as Canada.

“The second movement is more aggressive and militant. It’s systematic, almost mechanical in its approach and sound. The violence that Indigenous peoples faced is often erased or downplayed as a product of its time. This movement is supposed to make the audience uncomfortable with this history. When creating it, both the writer and composer wanted to capture the perception that European settlers had to justify the subjugation and oppression of Indigenous people, while masking it as benevolence. Here, the first peoples are clearly suffering with little to no regard given to them.

“Finally, the third movement is the reclamation of sovereignty and self-governance of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous people are still here. In addition to the survival of Indigenous peoples, the culture and languages of many continue to thrive. Though it can never be what it was in the first movement, there is hope that we can move forward.”

We’re Not Done Drumming is a collaboration between composer Laura Sgroi and poet Rebecca Thomas. It is a co-commission by Symphony Nova Scotia and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.