Programme Note Kluskap, a Micmac Legend for Children, Op. 56was commissioned by the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival in 1997. The text is taken from Ruth Holmes Whitehead's book Stories from the Six Worlds, published by Nimbus Publishing Limited, Halifax, Nova Scotia. This particular tale of Kluskap takes the audience back to the beginning of time. The great Micmac spirit Kji-kinap is making the world. He sees a stone image that looks like a man and breathes life into it. This is Kluskap, "Liar, the Cunning One." Kji-kinap tells Kluskap to clean out the "muddy-running waters" which he does with the help of a young woman and a young man. Kluskap then orders the young woman to put leaves, needles, and burrs on the trees where the birds will sing. Since the woman left her pets, the birds, behind in the Sky World, Kluskap sends Kulu, the Great Bird, up to fetch the other birds. The songs of the individual birds fill the forest with music. Kluskap next wishes to have animals on the Earth World. The young man sends Kulu up to the Sky World to fetch the stars down which become animals. Kluskap is pleased with the work of the young man and woman and marries them together, so that they will have children and their children will have children.

Curtain calls following the premiere performance of Kluskap: (left to right) Andrew Beston (Percussion), Martin Beaver (Violin), Wendy Neilsen (Soprano), Robert Kortgaard (Piano), Amanda Forsyth (Cello), Richard Hornsby (Clarinet), Michael Parker (Conductor)