Manitoba Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

The Honourable Anita R. Neville, P.C., O.M.

Women of Note Mothers’ Day Concert

Remarks by

The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba

WOMEN OF NOTE MOTHERS’ DAY CONCERT

Crescent Fort Rouge Church

Sunday, May 12, 2024

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Lovers of music and to all guests in attendance this afternoon, welcome to this Mother’s Day concert by Winnipeg’s Sisterhood in Song.

As Lieutenant Governor, I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered today in the heart of Treaty One land and the homeland of the Red River Metis, in the capital of a province that is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Dakota, Dene, Inuit and Metis peoples.

Here in Manitoba, we are committed to enhancing harmony, healing and reconciliation and building a healthier community for everybody.

Today, Women of Note will celebrate spring and Mothers’ Day with music that lifts our hearts and soothes our spirits and delights our senses.

And what a fitting way of celebrating Mothers’ Day that is. For most of us, I am sure, a mother’s voice singing a lullaby was one of our earliest and most powerful sensory impressions. Those cradle songs are imprinted in our deepest memories so powerfully they might as well be incorporated in our DNA.

The members of Women of Note have been bringing music to Manitoba audiences for thirty years now – and more than 400 women have played a part in the Women of Note performance groups.

Today, as we enjoy the beauty of their voices lifted in song and intertwined in harmony, we also have the opportunity to acknowledge the great contributions made by the founder and outgoing artistic director of Women of Note, Patricia Rabson.

For thirty years, Patricia has led Women of Note and created music that has delighted audiences and brought out the best in performers.

Together, Patricia and the women of this choir have created moments of beauty that resonate long after the doors on the performance venue are closed.

To all who have made this concert and the past thirty years of music possible, thank you.

Enjoy another wonderful performance.

Thank you. Merci. Meegwich. Shalom