Doing Long Work: Critical Perspectives on Indigenous-Settler Collaboration in Canadian Art Music

Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s ninety-four Calls to Action (2015), many art music composers, ensembles, arts organizations, and administrators have taken up the task of decolonization by exploring possible modes of collaboration between settler and Indigenous artists. In this article, the authors report on their experiences as audience members in three recent productions and as witnesses to Indigenous-led discussions to explore trends and problematic assumptions constitutive of these collaborations. Against the ideal of collaboration as a model of social harmony, the authors explore ongoing tensions between settler colonial logics of authorship, collaboration, and appropriation and argue that embracing the discomfort of ally-ship remains key to moving forward in solidarity work in scholarship and creative practice.