Cree-Métis singer finds peace and harmony in Cree Christmas carols
CBC News | December 23, 2021
Categories: news
Falynn Baptiste showcased Cree carols at Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra's Christmas concert
Falynn Baptiste always loved Christmas concerts as a young girl growing up on Red Pheasant Cree Nation, 150 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.
The Cree-Métis child, who was known for her powerful pipes, was only six years old when she donned a purple dress and sang her first solo – a Christmas carol in Cree – at her school concert.
"People would say, 'Oh Falynn, can you sing?' and I was always raring and ready to get up on stage and, not so much be seen but share music and be heard," she said.
Thirty-two years later, the recording artist stood centre stage in a floor-length green gown and sang What Child is This? in Cree with the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra at its Christmas concert.
In that moment, Baptiste felt she had come full circle.
"I'm very, very proud," she said. "To go from maybe a time when I wasn't proud of who I was to now … Showcasing our beautiful language, it's an accomplishment."
Continue reading this article at Cbc.ca.
