Let me here wade into the debate currently surrounding the version of O Canada, as sung by Nikki Yarofsky, 16-year-old jazz singer from Montreal, who gave us a jazzed up version of our national anthem. I’ll say right away, I give it an A+.

Critics — there are many — say it was a popification of our national anthem, a Canadian-Idol type exercise. I say, perfect. I’m delighted our anthem can be fitted over a pop/jazz structure.

Some complain of the slow tempo of Yarofsky’s version. For me, O Canada is designed to be sung slowly — and the slower the better — to exploit to the fullest the beauty of its melody and its harmonic potential. This is not true of every song, nor every anthem. But O Canada’s particular chordal structure is eminently suited to larghissimo. Larghissimo also gives space and opportunities to “jazz it up” — to incorporate a chorus of so-called “moving oohs,” for example, or for the vocalist to indulge in Melisma — the act of taking one syllable of a lyric and stretching it over several notes, which is what Yarofsky indulged in, to my joy.

But all this is my personal opinion, of course. What is universally accepted is that Nikki Yarofsky is a sensation, a Canadian musical gem who will eventually rank with the other titans of Canadian music, further proof that we punch above our weight when it comes to music. Thus, VANOC was right to showcase her at this venue, and to give her an arrangement that showcased her unique abilities. The opening ceremonies, in my belief, is not first and foremost for sing-along. It’s to wow the world.

Canada is a modern, progressive nation, constantly reinventing our national self. Sometimes our changes seem change for change’s sake, at other times we change as part of our ongoing national experiment, aiming for the common good and the enhancement of the common web of experience that makes us Canadian. Forget our social programs, or the ongoing improvement of our constitutional rights. Consider how we modernized our flag, or continue to tinker with the lyrics to our anthem. Thus we make our symbols and our traditions of continuing relevance to ourselves.

A tradition, after all, is not a hidebound thing, it is an organic thing. It is something with honorable roots in the past, but with relevance to the present and viability for the future.