About the Song

"Their duty was to defend us and to bravely stand on guard for our country. Ours is to remember their sacrifice, and to remember why they served” Governor General of Canada David Johnson, November, 2015

“Under November Skies” is an emotional and fitting tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives, and so much else, for Canada since the birth of our nation in 1867 and specifically in times of war and conflict.  Joanna Butler’s words are meaningful, touching and remind us that we must all be thankful and humbled “as the bugler plays the Last Post.” Jim Forde, Conductor, Sackville Concert Band, Nova Scotia.

Inspiration

“I started composing the song on November 11, 2014, after attending a moving Remembrance Day Ceremony in Halifax at the Cenotaph in the Grand Parade. The attendance was triple that year owing in part to the recent deaths of two soldiers on home soil (Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent). Cpl Cirillo was shot while guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It struck me that Cpl Cirillo gave a face to the Unknown soldier that we could all relate to. Both were young men with their lives ahead of them, and they died defending Canada and all the freedoms that we hold dear in our country. The end of the ceremony in Halifax was marked by the uplifting release of 6 white doves, as a living symbol of peace and hope. The emotional images of Remembrance Day ceremonies, past and present, were in my heart that day as I sat with my guitar to begin writing “Under November Skies” Joanna Butler

Vision for the song

I was overwhelmed by the warm reception that I received after my first performance of Under November Skies with John Lindsay-Botten, the Knox United Church choir and Sackville Concert Band in 2018. Veterans and their families gave me hugs and shared their personal war stories. I recall one young girl who told me that the song made her feel proud of her great-grandfather who fought in the second World War. But when a veteran, said: “you have to share this song with other Canadians”, he inspired me to do just that!

My vision is to share Under November Skies with choirs across Canada. To do so, I have surrounded myself with a musically talented team. In the past year we have: written a French version of the song so that it is now in both official languages; prepared sheet music for choirs (SATB, SSA) and concert band; filmed French and English YouTube performance videos; uploaded teaching videos for guitar players to learn the song; and finally we developed this website, to be updated with performances, videos and pictures as the song finds its way across Canada. If you would like to join us in our efforts to spread this song to choirs, please join our team by messaging us with your comments and suggestions on the Contact page.

Thank you! Joanna