In The Land of Spirits

“In the Land of Spirits ,” is the title of the first North American Native symphonic ballet, that Miklos Massey wrote and composed. It was produced by John Kim Bell the first Native American symphony orchestra conductor, who inserted some of his own additional music to the already existing full-length ballet written and re-written by Miklos Massey. Mr. Bell also added some of his own ideas to the story line that Mr. Massey wrote.

Mr. Massey and Mr. Bell became collaborators for the “big purpose,” and they made legal agreements, which stipulated the “Credit Rights" the following way:

“Music by Miklos Massey: Additional music by John Kim Bell. Original story by Miklos Massey & John Kim Bell”

The ballet was first performed in 1988 in the National Arts Centre of Ottawa. It had a fifteen-minute standing ovation, and then it had a successful cross-country tour across Canada.

Miklos Massey is a Hungarian refugee, who ran away from the destruction of the invading Soviet tanks in 1956. As a young student, he attained a classical piano training in Hungary, the birthplace of Franz Liszt and Bela Bartok. After Mr. Massey immigrated to Canada, he studied music theory with the highly valued teacher, Gordon Delamont, and studied counterpoint with Dr. Sam Dolin of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto.

As a young Canadian, Mr. Massey got interested in North America ’s contemporary jazz. He became a leading jazz musician, and received a Canada Council Scholarship to study with the great Oscar Peterson. Mr. Massey’s classical and jazz music background has created a composition: “Divertimento for String Quartet and Jazz Trio.” It was aired on a CBC television program: “Music to See,” and its success generated five replays.

For his next project, Mr. Massey planed to create a truly Canadian work. This motivation made him realize that the name of the country Canada, just as its many provinces and cities are originating from the First Nations. Even the national anthem has a line, “Our native land.”

With this in mind, Mr. Massey started to research and study Canadian Native music and Canadian Native legends.

The ballet “In the Land of Spirits,” (which is Mr. Massey’s title) has born, that took Mr. Massey with the research for four years to complete.

The success of “In the Land of Spirits” has motivated Mr. Massey to write another ballet titled "Tales From The Spirit World": A Star-Crossed Lovers Story. A symphonic suite for Native ballet based on the legends of North American Indigenous people.

If you have interest in these works, you can reach Miklos Massey at:

miklosmassey@hotmail.com