Letters to the Future is a Canadian/United Kingdom co-produced music-focused artistic exploration inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley's notion that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world”. At the heart of the project is the belief that artists shape policy decisions and public opinion through imagination and the power of music. Because of shared history, a shared language and a commitment to multiculturalism, the connection between Canada and the UK is undeniable. In the wake of the real and necessary reckoning with colonialism, this is the moment to redefine the partnership of these two linked countries. At a time when the world is more and more polarised and the crises of our age are politicised, it will take powerful storytelling to change minds.  

We are bringing together songwriters and thinkers from both countries for a week on Prince Edward Island to envision the future we want to live in. The songs written from this incubation week will be shaped for the stage with our illumination team and we will send our musical letters in performance into the future to inspire, challenge and delight. Jeanette Winterson writes "art does not imitate life, art anticipates life." We intend to do this. 

Company

Miranda Mulholland is a Canadian musician, label owner and Artistic Director and Producer of the Muskoka Music Festival. Her most recent solo release, By Appointment or Chance, was nominated for a JUNO Award in 2020. Dubbed the “Sweet secret weapon of Canadian Roots Music” by Brad Wheeler at The Globe and Mail, her touring and recording credits include Great Lake Swimmers, Bowfire, Harrow Fair, Alan Doyle, The Jim Cuddy Band and many, many more. She has performed on over 100 albums as well as TV shows and film scores. Not limited to band performances, Miranda has been featured in various theatre productions including the Dora Award-winning Parfumerie and The New York Times’ Critic’s Pick Spoon River with Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto and in NYC. 

Neil Pearson is an experienced creative project manager and artist-development specialist working mainly in music, but also on cross-genre commissions. Over the past 13 years he has devised and managed over 15 creative projects, including The Lost Words: Spell Songs, a major commission with musicians and authors, that has performed at The Royal Albert Hall, The Natural History Museum, Hay Festival, and in major venues across the UK.  His projects have been performed on over three continents, to over 200,000 audience members, and the projects have won three BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. He is an experienced artist development specialist and has worked with many clients, including Rose Cousins, The Small Glories, Kaīa Kater and more on UK development strategies and delivery. 

Creative team

National Creation Fund investment

Our investment of $125,000 supports an exciting and unusual creative process. First, the company will bring together Canadian and UK-based songwriters and thinkers in Prince Edward Island. Each thinker will share their expertise and perspective on the future, which will inspire and inform songs written by the songwriters. We will then support the weaving of the music into a performance.

“We are thrilled by the investment of the National Creation Fund. Their support, both financially and artistically, will allow us to not only give artists seats at the table but allow them to create their own table.” – Miranda Mulholland 

“Supporting creative ambition and embracing risk are crucial for innovative work to thrive; The Creation Fund’s backing of ‘Letters to the Future’ demonstrates their commitment to creative incubation, development, and discovery, valuing these aspects just as much as presenting new work to audiences.” – Neil Pearson  

Credits

Produced by Miranda Mulholland and Neil Pearson, co-produced by the National Arts Centre's National Creation Fund.

Development Partners: The High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom, Theatre Aquarius, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Confederation Centre of the Arts, SOCAN, Music PEI, The Disability Collective, The Situation Lab, Scales House/Ashford Cottage. 
 

Performance dates

Past performances

Performance Dates

Premiering in 2026. 

Recent investments

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