In Their Own Voices: Immigrant Musickers in a Changing City

Abstract

The following paper is drawn from a larger research project undertaken during2008-2009, in which I closely examined the immigrant music community inSt. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. To this end, I interviewed overtwenty-!ve people, most of them immigrant musicians, and in some cases viewedperformances and rehearsals, created jam sessions, and participated in variousmusic-making activities over an eight-month period. Here, I will present portraitsof some of my consultants from that time, whose negotiations in their musicmakingactivities demonstrate the diverse ways they see themselves in the Canadianmulticultural milieu and the issues faced in relocation. I will highlight someof their experiences that provide insight into the social integration process andlater, explore the limitations of certain culturally-integrative activities that thecity of St. John’s supports.