Learning and Engagement
A Signature Feature of the NAC Orchestra China Tour
“The most important thing we can do in any relationship with any country is bring them what we do best. In my case I know how to play the fiddle and make music. So I bring that to China with an open heart and an abundance of feeling.”
– Pinchas Zukerman
From the inception of his tenure as Music Director, Pinchas Zukerman has led by example in championing the music education mandate of the NAC and ensuring that NAC Orchestra tours always feature a robust education and outreach program. During this tour, more than 50 musicians will participate in 80 education events.
Education Highlights
Hong Kong
Small ensemble concerts will be performed at Lok Sin Tong Primary School in the New Territories and at the Canadian International School in Aberdeen. The theme is friendship and cultural exchange.
Guangzhou
A full day string ensemble symposium at Xinghai Conservatory will be led by Concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki.
Beijing
A diverse portfolio of teaching and learning activities with the Central Conservatory of Music will be complimented by a series of pop-up performances in public parks, at the zoo, in public spaces at the NCPA and in schools, including a free public concert at Tsinghua University.
Shanghai
A masterclass led by Pinchas Zukerman will connect students from the Shanghai and Mount Royal (Calgary, Canada) Conservatories through interactive telementoring, a technique refined by Maestro Zukerman.
Pinchas Zukerman teaches a student at China’s Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, via high-definition videoconferencing from the NAC’s Hexagon Studio.
Legacy: ConneXXions 2013 Project
The National Arts Centre, in cooperation with China’s Central Conservatory of Music, will produce for the first time ever, a high-definition videoconference from China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts that will connect young ensembles of musicians in Ottawa and Beijing, all in real time with virtually no delay. The session will be hosted by Canadian Mark Rowswell – known in China as Dashan – one of the best-known western media personalities in China. This historic session will also feature an appearance by renowned erhu soloist Yu Hongmei, and a performance by her gold medal-winning protégé. As a legacy of the NAC Orchestra’s Tour, this event will mark the first of many masterclasses and music education events co-produced by the NAC, China’s Central Conservatory of Music and the NCPA.
Prof. Yu Hongmei, renowned erhu soloist and teacher at China’s Central Conservatory of Music, holds a masterclass with Ottawa student Leo Zhang in the NAC’s Hexagon Studio.
