How do you write a musical composition about restorative justice?

SFU senior music lecturer Janet Danielson took on that challenge 18 months ago, developing a 10-minute musical piece for eight voices, an oboe and a eurythmist, a dancer whose gestures are closely tied to the music.

The result is one of six commissioned pieces being featured at the Cambridge Music Conference Nov. 30 - Dec. 1 at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts.

The conference theme, Music and Transformation: The Performing Arts and Restorative Justice, has attracted participation from internationally acclaimed composers, dancers, musicians, choreographers and experts in peace-building and justice.

“The combination of community involvement, research, performance and collaboration around the theme of justice is unique,” says artistic director Elizabeth Carmack.

“The conference promises to break new ground in supporting those made vulnerable by conflict as well as engaging the community in reframing the performance of justice.”

Danielson took her inspiration from historical philosophers such as Aristotle, who wrote about musical harmony as a model for justice, and from modern-day peace builder John Paul Lederach and restorative justice pioneer and former judge, Barry Stuart.

Her new work incorporates abstract principles of justice and harmony with Lederach’s views on reconciliation and Stuart’s restorative justice work, which uses the practical and emotional dynamic of Aboriginal sentencing circles.

“I’ve developed a slow bed of shifting harmonies that move around diverse visions of what hope and reconciliation could look like, disrupted by some dissonances that sometimes sound intractable, and other times break into an unexpected harmony,” she says.

Oboist Virginia Shaw and eurythmist Maren Stott, both from the UK, will join eight mixed voices from the Vancouver Chamber Choir to perform Danielson’s new piece, Truth Threatens Mercy Threatens Justice Threatens Peace, on Dec. 1, at 7:30 pm.

For conference details and online registration: http://at.sfu.ca/hTfKDe.