When Andrew Balfour arrived on campus in January, the music was already underway.
Choirs were rehearsing before the school day had fully shaken off the morning, band students were refining passages for upcoming performances, and the steady rhythm of daily life at St. Michaels University School carried on around him. For Balfour, an Juno-nominated, Cree composer and conductor from the Prairies, this was exactly where he wanted to begin: inside the work, alongside students and teachers, listening first.
Now in Week 2 of his first three-week residency as one of SMUS’s Indigenous Scholars, Balfour has quickly become a familiar presence across the School. He has already stepped into classes with Head of Music and Band Teacher Ian Farish, choir teacher Christina Banman, strings teacher Stella Guillen, and Middle School band teacher David Enns, visiting rehearsals and classes across grade levels and musical disciplines. While this marks the first time the Indigenous Scholars program has welcomed a music-focused residency, the experience feels like a natural evolution of the School’s ongoing commitment to Indigenous learning through relationships and lived experience.
A Place to Listen and Learn
For Balfour, the sense of belonging was immediate.
“As soon as I got on campus, I felt really safe, I don’t mean physically, but artistically,” he stated. “The students here really get it. In every class I am learning something too.”
That feeling of artistic safety has shaped his early impressions of SMUS. He speaks warmly about students’ openness, their willingness to take risks, and the genuine camaraderie he observes in rehearsals. He also notes how present students are with one another, engaging fully with the music and with their peers.
Rather than positioning himself as a visiting expert, Balfour describes his role as one of shared exchange. While he offers guidance on techniques such as breathing, tone, and listening across sections, he is equally attentive to what he learns from observing rehearsals and collaborating with faculty. Watching teachers lead warm-ups, shape ensemble sound, and build trust with students has influenced his own thinking as a musician and educator.
"What I feel has been really valuable is having Andrew share his story with the students," reflected Senior Choir teacher Christina Banman. "Relationship is the foundation of reconciliation. The choir has been working on a piece that Andrew wrote called Ambe, which is about welcoming all two-legged people in, no matter who they are or where they come from. Being able to hear his story and sing his song has been really meaningful to understanding the purpose and need for truth and reconciliation. Having this personal connection puts things into perspective and allows us to engage in a meaningful way with that work."
Andrew will be able to tune in virtually to the Senior Choir's performance of Ambe at the upcoming Large Ensembles Concert on Feb. 11.
What initially appeared to be a residency focused on supporting ensembles ahead of performances has already begun to shift. Balfour now sees opportunities for deeper mentorship, from working with smaller sectional groups to having conversations with students interested in composition or creative pathways in music.
Music Rooted in Place
Looking ahead, Balfour sees opportunities to extend his contributions well beyond these three weeks.
He is feeling inspired to write a dedicated piece for the ensemble of Senior School choir, strings, and band, one that brings students together and has the possibility to also be shaped in collaboration with local Elders and Song Keepers. Rooted in the knowledge, language, and teachings of the land on which the School stands, the piece could invite students into a deeper relationship with place through music.
“What excites me is the possibility of creating something with the students that connects them to this place,” he said, utterly inspired by the students to write something for them. “Letting those teachings be part of the music feels really important.”
He is careful to acknowledge that this is not his home territory. As a Cree artist born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he approaches the work with humility, seeing his role as one of connection and relationship building rather than authorship alone.
Beyond the music program, Balfour has taken time to observe other aspects of school life. Attending a recent student-led chapel service left a strong impression. Watching students speak openly and confidently about deeply personal topics reinforced his sense that SMUS is a place where young people feel supported to be fully themselves.
“There’s a real sense of community here,” he reflected. “You can see how much the students want to be here, and that makes all the difference.”
It is a sentiment that resonates with Balfour’s own story. He often reflects on the role music played in his life as a student, offering a sense of belonging and purpose during formative years. Seeing students at SMUS thrive within a similarly strong musical community feels both familiar and hopeful.
As his January residency continues, Balfour is also set to spend more time with younger students in the Junior School and Middle School, attend performances, and continue exploring how his presence can best serve the school community. When he arrived, three weeks felt generous and now, it already feels brief in light of what is possible.
For the SMUS community, Balfour’s residency offers a powerful reminder that Indigenous learning can live not only in classrooms and texts, but in sound, listening, collaboration, and shared creation. Through music, students are encountering Indigenous perspectives in ways that are relational, grounded, and deeply human.
And for Balfour, it is just the beginning.
About Andrew Balfour
Of Cree descent, Andrew Balfour is an innovative composer, conductor, singer, and sound designer with an extensive body of choral, instrumental, electro-acoustic, and orchestral works. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Camerata Nova, now in its 22nd season of presenting a concert series in Winnipeg. With Camerata Nova, Andrew is known for creating “concept concerts,” many exploring Indigenous themes through an eclectic mix of new compositions, arrangements, and interdisciplinary collaborations. He is also deeply committed to music education and outreach, working on northern reserves and in inner-city Winnipeg schools in partnership with the National Arts Centre, Camerata Nova, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and local school divisions.
About Indigenous Scholars at SMUS
In 2021, St. Michaels University School was guided to create an Indigenous Scholar position to strengthen authentic relationships with local Indigenous communities and deepen student learning. The first to hold this role was renowned Salish artist Dylan Thomas, Qwul’thilum, of the Lyackson Nation. As the Indigenous Scholars program enters its next phase, SMUS announced two new scholars in September 2025. Andrew Balfour, of Cree descent, an award-winning composer, conductor, singer, and sound designer whose work will inspire students in music and performance and Gisele Martin, of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, a cultural educator, storyteller, singer, and composer whose deep knowledge of language, ecology, and ethno-botany will connect students to the land and local ecosystem.
