"To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men

To find there but the road back home again"

-Stan Rogers, Northwest Passage

ABOUT THE COMPOSITION They Desire a Better Country is the second movement of Northwestern Passages, an orchestral work commissioned in 2017 by the Brandon Community Orchestra to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary. This movement was later adapted, edited, and arranged for wind symphony, premiering in 2019 under the direction of Dr. Wendy Zander with the Brandon University Symphonic Band.

The title is borrowed from the Order of Canada (desiderantes meliorem patriam), a Latin phrase inscribed in the heraldry of the Canadian coat of arms. The country’s official motto (A Mari usque ad Mare—“From Sea to Sea”) also plays a structural and musical role in this piece as a harmonic journey. The music begins in C Major, ventures nomadically through various keys, and ultimately returns home to its ‘true north’ in C Major. The movement is teeming with life—yearning, hopeful, rhythmic, and ever-rising—while paying homage to the form, themes, and melodies of Northwest Passage, a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers, which, in this composer’s view, stands as an unofficial national anthem of Canada.

Upon revisiting this music in 2025, I more deeply realize how fortunate I am to live and create freely in Canada, surrounded by so many diverse voices. When I first composed this piece, I was reflecting on Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and questioning how I could respond as an artist. I struggled with what I could possibly say that could speak to decades of trauma—until I realized my role was not to speak, but to listen. It is not my place to tell this story, but to stand in solidarity with those who bear its weight. It is not lost on me that both the Order and Motto of Canada originate from biblical scripture—words that, while foundational to our country, were also wielded by religious institutions that systematically oppressed Indigenous communities. How do we celebrate the ideals these words represent while acknowledging the historical harm twisted within them? Our modern world is full of such contradictions, but what we can do—today and every day—is acknowledge the darkness of yesterday while working toward a brighter tomorrow.

Since composing this piece, I have come to understand that land acknowledgments should be personal, heartfelt reflections on the land we share. In that spirit, this music is my own form of acknowledgment—offered earnestly to all who gather to play and listen. If the first movement of Northwestern Passages confronts the atrocities of our past, this second movement looks ahead—with hope for a shared future: “With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free.”

—CB, March 2025