Imaginal - by Carmen Braden
Premiere + tour - James Ehnes (violin) and Andrew Armstrong (piano)
Spring 2026
May 1 2026 - Kingston ON - Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts** World Premiere
May 3 2026 - Ottawa ON - Southam Hall, National Arts Centre
May 4 2026 - London ON - Wolf Performance Hall
May 5 2026 - Niagara-on-the-Lake ON - St. Mark’s Anglican Church
May 6 2026 - Saskatoon SK - St. John’s Cathedral
May 8 2026 - Winnipeg MB - Knox United Church
Fall 2026
TBA
Program note - April 20 2026
How caterpillars become butterflies is crazier and more inspirational than I ever knew! Their bodies disintegrate inside the cocoon into a kind of goo and then are rebuilt into a new form that is bewilderingly different than the old. Special cells called “imaginal” cells are the catalysts for this transformation. They lie dormant in the caterpillar until the right phase of metamorphosis, then become the blueprints and building blocks forming the new butterfly wings, body, legs, antennae out of the caterpillar goo. How cool is that. So coo. Goo.
The universal idea is that we all have our future potentials dormant inside us. And when something catalyzes a major transformation, there is a crazy dissolving of the old which is often hard and we fight against it. But then the incredible and tough and beautiful and surprising rebuilding happens.
It’s a super humanly-relatable in terms of the mid-life crisis time! - or any kind of big life change… I learned about imaginal cells as I turn 40 last year and am working through a now years-long disintegration and rebuilding of my musical directions.
Musically in “Imaginal” there is a core melody woven throughout the piece that goes through many takings-apart and putting-back-togethers. The melody is from a song I wrote in the early writing stages to get me started.
I wrote “Imaginal” for violinist James Ehnes as he turns 50, travels Canada and the world to play beautiful music. Cuz if there’s anything that’ll hold us together in this crazy world, it’s music, friends, curiosity and caterpillars.
Commissioned by the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (lead commissioner), the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Bravo! Niagara, Calgary Pro Musica, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Cecilia Concerts, Chamber Music Kelowna, Club musical de Québec, Coast Recital Society—Sechelt, Edmonton Chamber Music Society, The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Mount Allison University, The Royal Conservatory of Music, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Scotia Festival of Music, Symphony Nova Scotia, and Whitehorse Concerts