In Beatitude, Vancouver Cantata Singers launch season with Sherryl Sewepagaham's serene ode to land, October 24

The Cree-Dene composer’s new work joins a program aimed at instilling calm, bliss, and joy

Sherryl Sewepagaham. Photo by Milana Ward

The Vancouver Cantata Singers present Beatitude at Christ Church Cathedral on October 24

MULTITALENTED CREE-DENE artist Sherryl Sewepagaham will soon see the premiere of her “mîyonakwan askîy (Beautiful Land)”, a new choral composition for the Vancouver Cantata Singers.

The composer, who has created a range of traditional and contemporary First Nations drum songs, has also made her name in music education and as a member of Edmonton-based trio Asani. Choral work is one of her specialties, with pieces performed by ensembles such as the Canadian Chamber Choir (give the track at bottom a listen).

Titled with a Cree term that is deeply rooted in Indigenous teachings about interconnectedness, “mîyonakwan askîy (Beautiful Land)”, commissioned by the Vancouver Cantata Singers, evokes the grandeur, calm contentment, and raw sensory experience of the Canadian wilderness. It grows out of Sewepagaham's larger body of work that focuses heavily on protecting the land, and incorporating traditional rhythms and Indigenous languages.

That makes it a powerful touchstone in the Beatitude program, the opening concert of the choir’s 2026–27 concert season.

Conductor Paula Kremer has drawn on favourite Mass settings, interspersed with works that reflect on eternal peace. The program spans music by Palestrina, Byrd, Rautavaara, Rheinberger, Vaughan Williams, Martin, Carrillo, Bruckner, and Mendelssohn.

It also includes the sacred a cappella choral composition The Beatitudes by Welsh composer Paul Mealor, building a luminous and serenely contemplative harmonic language.

In other words, true to its title, the concert promises a state of supreme bliss, peace, and calm interconnection—not bad for a Saturday night out.

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Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is a Webster Award–winning arts journalist who has spent more than three decades immersed in Vancouver’s performing arts, film, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

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