Yellowknife composer Carmen Braden’s Imaginal takes on a new form

For Yellowknife composer and musician Carmen Braden, Imaginal has taken on a life of its own. 

What began as a piece for violin and piano has now transformed into an orchestral arrangement, both versions reaching audiences across Canada this month.

The original Imaginal was commissioned by the Yellowknife-based Northern Arts and Cultural Centre for violinist James Ehnes and pianist Andrew Armstrong. Ehnes is currently performing the piece as part of his 50th birthday recital tour, including a stop in Yellowknife on Friday.

The connection between Braden and Ehnes goes back 10 years, when the violinist came to Yellowknife for his 40th birthday tour. Braden, then an emerging composer, wrote Magnetic North for him. 

“I’m just so honoured to be growing old with these players and these people,” Braden told Cabin Radio.

The idea of change is also at the heart of Imaginal. Braden drew inspiration from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, specifically the imaginal cells that help form the butterfly inside its cocoon. 

For Braden, the process became a metaphor for breaking down an old way of doing things and building something new. 

She first wrote Imaginal as a song, then adapted its melody and chords for violin and piano. After Ehnes performed the piece at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa this spring, they invited Braden to arrange it for orchestra. 

The arrangement expands the work from two players to more than 30 musicians across 19 parts. 

“It was like having this huge amount of ingredients, and getting to choose how much of each one to add at any one moment,” Braden said. 

The orchestral version will have its world premiere in Ottawa on September 22, performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra as part of a concert celebrating environmentalist and broadcaster David Suzuki’s 90th birthday. 

Braden grew up in Yellowknife watching Suzuki’s The Nature of Things on the CBC. She said having her music included in a concert focused on landscape and the natural world feels especially meaningful.

Meanwhile, the original version is continuing its own journey, with Ehnes and Armstrong performing Imaginal on a 20-date tour across Canada and the United States.