PJHR Affiliate Dr. James Cunningham Performs for TEDx in Canada

On January 22, Duo Gillis Cunningham (DGC) - comprised of Dr. James E. Cunningham (FAU), Professor of Music and a PJHR Faculty Affiliate, and Dr. Glen Gillis (University of Saskatchewan) - opened the 2023 TEDx event in Saskatoon, Canada with a performance of their original composition “Canus Lupi” or Grey Wolves.

Following the USASK TEDx theme “Be What the World Needs,” “Canus Lupi” programmatically depicts the coming together of two grey wolves that have become lost and separated by an arctic blizzard. Through interactive musical conversations between the high-pitched soaring melodies and textures of the alto saxophone and the rich low-frequency ethereal timbre of the didgeridoo, “Canus Lupi” articulates a metaphorical juxtaposition of diametrically opposed symbolic and musical perspectives such as: climate change, reflected by an Arctic blizzard, as an effect of global warming; the plight of the grey wolf via encroaching globalization; a musical dialogue surrounding notions of Indigenous peoples’ cultural separation and reconciliation; the fusion of ancient and modern instrumental practices; the combination of pre-composed and improvised musical approaches; and finally, the unification of musicians from North and South, creating a musical bridge spanning the physical distance between Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and Boca Raton, Florida.

 

You can watch the performance here: