In 2006, the Seattle Symphony premiered a work commissioned by the late Upper Skagit Elder Vi taqwšəblu Hilbert as a gift to the world to help bring healing in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. Hilbert shared two sacred songs of the Coast Salish peoples with composer Bruce Ruddell, who also incorporated some traditional instruments into the orchestration of the piece, entitled The Healing Heart of the First People of This Land.
The symphony will revisit the work for the first time since then on March 7, performing it at a free community concert. The event will also include a screening of a 2023 documentary by Hilbert’s Lushootseed Research foundation that tells the story of the piece. Host Rachel Katz speaks with the symphony’s Senior Director of Education and Community Engagement Jérémy Jolley and Jill La Pointe, Hilbert’s granddaughter and director of the foundation, about the upcoming performance, the music, and how it has become a model for reaching across cultures and finding unity through music.
