3339

The summer of 1980:

A 5 year old boy in Espanola, Ontario follows the epic journey of a young man from British Columbia who would run 3339 miles in 143 days.

Across 3 time zones, 6 provinces and 10 stages of the Hero’s Journey

3339 incorporates resonant melodies, pulsing ostinati, numerically-derived structures and materials, looping figures and motifs, enveloping soundscapes, field recordings and a storyteller (Neworld Theatre’s Adrienne Wong) to re-tell the most mythic of all Canadian tales: The story of Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. This iteration of Canada’s most famous story focuses on the epic physical accomplishment of one young man through hard facts and numbers, and bypasses the emotional beats usually assigned to this tale.

3339 is a revisitation of the geography of my childhood, and the legend who ran through it.

Premiered in May 2012 by Redshift Music, 3339 is a 33 minute and 39 second work for narrator, flute/alto flute, viola, double bass, marimba/vibes, projection and field recordings. The impetus for the piece was to retell the story of my boyhood hero, Terry Fox, but to shed a new light on the tale by placing it in the context of the mythical Hero’s Journey.

I kept a blog during the writing of this work from inception to completion, including my trip to Newfoundland and Northern Ontario. I took the trip to collect field recordings of the spots where the Marathon began and ended (at 4:30am, the time when Terry liked to start running) and to feel the places that bookend the journey. Click on the photo to visit this blog, and take the 33.39 to watch the video of the premiere (audio recording by Paul Luchkow), it’s the work I’m the most proud of.