The Ottawa Jazz Orchestra celebrates the 450th birthday of William Shakespeare with a fabulous double bill. Vocalist Diane Nalini will sing selections from her album "Songs of Sweet Fire," a collection of sonnets and songs from the plays of William Shakespeare set to Diane’s original jazz, blues, folk and pop music. She will be performing with a trio and soloists from the orchestra. The 15-piece Ottawa Jazz Orchestra will then perform Duke Ellington’s rarely heard, seminal 12-movement suite, Such Sweet Thunder, in which Ellington and Billy Strayhorn depicted characters and vignettes from Shakespeare’s plays.

The Ottawa Jazz Orchestra (OJO) is Canada’s first symphonic jazz orchestra. This unique ensemble has garnered kudos from both critics and audiences for its highly entertaining, innovative and educational presentations of seminal jazz-centric music. No mere “big band,” the OJO is a dynamic musical organization with a wide range of ensembles, including small chamber jazz groups, repertory orchestras, neophonic orchestras and a full symphonic jazz orchestra. The OJO’s broad repertoire of music includes original compositions, the gamut of jazz and pre-jazz repertory from as far back as 1850 and jazz-influenced neoclassical works. Each season, the OJO presents an exciting and innovative array of performances and educational presentations. During the summer months, the orchestra frequently performs at the invitation of event organizers including the National Capital Commission, the City of Ottawa and various festivals.

Celebrated vocalist Diane Nalini composes and sings in four languages. She has recorded four albums, sung at jazz festivals around the globe and given gala performances for President Bill Clinton and Sir Paul McCartney. She was nominated for the Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors at the 2002 Montreal International Jazz Festival and was one of two finalists for the UK’s Young Jazz Vocalist of the Year awards for 2001. Diane’s original songs have also been featured in television, independent films, as well as the Hollywood movie Charlotte Grey starring Cate Blanchett, which featured her song “L’amour d’autrefois,” co-written with UK arranger/composer Dick Walter.