Songs on poems by Elizabeth Bishop

Soprano Suzie LeBlanc sings the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop in 10 stunning settings by four Canadian composers, each of whom shines a new light on words that have exquisite clarity and finely-wrought observation. Suzie’s voice has as many beautiful colours as the images she describes. The musicians play with keen and accomplished sensitivity under the direction of the young and talented Dinuk Wijeratne. The singer says that Elizabeth Bishop changed her life, and this meditative, evocative poetry in music could change yours.

“Walking with EB” is about the 2008 walking adventure of two new friends, Linda Rae Dornan and Suzie LeBlanc, as they retraced the 1932 walk of the poet Elizabeth Bishop across the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. In 2008, Suzie invited Linda to go on this adventure with her. Linda thought she would document their experiences with a video camera and maybe make some art with it so she carried a rented video camera to document the landscape, their experiences and their connection to Bishop’s life and poetry. They walked, read poetry to Newfoundlanders and themselves, met descendants of some of the people mentioned in Bishop’s journal, and retraced Bishop’s journey with new eyes. Both Suzie and Linda love to walk long distances. And that is how this road movie came into existence, step by step.

Soprano Suzie LeBlanc sings the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop in 10 stunning settings by four Canadian composers, each of whom shines a new light on words that have exquisite clarity and finely-wrought observation. Suzie’s voice has as many beautiful colours as the images she describes. The musicians play with keen and accomplished sensitivity under the direction of the young and talented Dinuk Wijeratne. The singer says that Elizabeth Bishop changed her life, and this meditative, evocative poetry in music could change yours.

“Walking with EB” is about the 2008 walking adventure of two new friends, Linda Rae Dornan and Suzie LeBlanc, as they retraced the 1932 walk of the poet Elizabeth Bishop across the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland. In 2008, Suzie invited Linda to go on this adventure with her. Linda thought she would document their experiences with a video camera and maybe make some art with it so she carried a rented video camera to document the landscape, their experiences and their connection to Bishop’s life and poetry. They walked, read poetry to Newfoundlanders and themselves, met descendants of some of the people mentioned in Bishop’s journal, and retraced Bishop’s journey with new eyes. Both Suzie and Linda love to walk long distances. And that is how this road movie came into existence, step by step.