≈ 1 hour · No intermission
Last updated: September 20, 2019
Program
(Subject to change)
Welcome and Land Acknowledgement by NAC Indigenous Theatre staff member
BALFOUR, Andrew
Kiwetin-acahkos (North Star) - Fanfare for the peoples of the North
AGLUKARK, Susan (Arr. Tom Szczesniak)
The Crossing (Susan Aglukark)
TRAD.
Traditional Drum Dancing (David Serkoak)
TRAD.
Traditional Arctic Games (Students from Nunavut Sivuniksavut)
AGLUKARK, Susan (Arr. Tom Szczesniak)
Walk With Me (Susan Aglukark)
JAAJI/JUNE
Plane Song (Twin Flames)
TRAD.
Throat Singing (Silla)
JAAJI/JUNE
Broke Down Ski’tuuq (Twin Flames, Silla)
JAAJI/JUNE (Arr. David Martin)
Human (Twin Flames)
AGLUKARK, Susan (Arr. Tom Szczesniak)
O Siem (Susan Aglukark)
Artists
Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra is praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary learning and engagement programs, and its unwavering support of Canadian creativity. The NAC Orchestra is based in Ottawa, Canada’s national capital, and has grown into one of the country’s most acclaimed and dynamic ensembles since its founding in 1969. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, engaging communities from coast to coast to coast through inclusive programming, compelling storytelling, and innovative partnerships.
Since taking the helm in 2015, Shelley has shaped the Orchestra’s artistic vision, building on the legacy of his predecessor, Pinchas Zukerman, who led the ensemble for 16 seasons. Shelley’s influence extends beyond the NAC. He serves as Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK and Artistic and Music Director of Artis—Naples and the Naples Philharmonic in the United States. In addition to his other conducting roles, the Pacific Symphony in Los Angeles’s Orange County announced Shelley’s appointment as its next Artistic and Music Director. The initial five-year term begins in the 2026-2027 season, with Shelley serving as Music Director-Designate from September 2025. Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds and Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser complement Shelley’s leadership. In 2024, the Orchestra marked a new chapter with the appointment of Henry Kennedy as its first-ever Resident Conductor.
The Orchestra has a rich history of partnerships with renowned artists such as James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Renée Fleming, Hilary Hahn, Jeremy Dutcher, Jan Lisiecki, Ray Chen, and Yeol Eum Son, underscoring its reputation as a destination for world-class talent. As one of the most accessible, inclusive and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.
A hallmark of the NAC Orchestra is its national and international tours. The Orchestra has performed concerts in every Canadian province and territory and earned frequent invitations to perform abroad. These tours spotlight Canadian composers and artists, bringing their voices to stages across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, and Asia.
Born in Montréal, Mélanie Léonard is the Music Director of the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra. She was also Resident Conductor (2009-2012) and then Associate Conductor (2012-2013) with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
Léonard has appeared as guest conductor at the Montreal International Jazz Festival and with a number of Canadian orchestras, including the Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras, and the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal. In 2014, she founded the Wild West New Music Ensemble in Calgary, and served as Music Director and Conductor of the group until 2016.
In 2019-2020, she will be making her debut with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy and the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra. She also has return engagements with the NAC Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia and Thunder Bay Symphony.
Ms. Léonard is a sought-after conductor for varied recording projects, including movie soundtracks, multimedia projects and, more recently, Wonderbox at Paradise City – an immersive environment in a South Korean hotel complex.
Mélanie Léonard completed her Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting at the Université de Montréal under Maestri Paolo Bellomia and Jean-François Rivest. In 2012, she received the Jean-Marie Beaudet prize in orchestral conducting, awarded by the Canada Council for the Arts.
During a career that has spanned more than 25 years, Susan Aglukark’s journey as a singer-songwriter has led her to reflect on who she is, where she comes from and the importance of discovery – discovery of history, culture and self.
The first Inuk artist to win a JUNO, Susan has won three, as well as a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement. She is an officer of the Order of Canada, holds several Honorary Doctorate degrees and has held command performances; but Susan also acknowledges the path has not been easy.
“Here I was, living a life I never imagined, but I was struggling to understand who I was. There was no opportunity growing up to learn about who we were, the Inuit, from our own perspective. In essence, we were institutionalized by being told who we were, how we would live, and when you are told a story for so long, you learn to believe it,” explains Susan.
During the past 25 years of reflection and songwriting, Susan kept coming back to one area of profound knowing – the Inuit are an extraordinary people deeply grounded in a culture forged by their Ancestors, their journey is what shaped them.
“Their life experience is the foundation on which our precepts of determination, adaptability and love for life are built, they began the journey to our present-day Nunavut.” (Susan’s Walrus Talks comments)
Despite the success she experienced in the 1990s, by 1998 she was suffering from post-partum depression and found herself in a dark place in need of time to reflect and heal. What followed was several years of reflection, healing and making deeper commitments to her singing/songwriting career.
And so began what Susan calls her “awakening.” As she learned more about her culture and the strength and resilience of the Inuit who have been on this land for over 5,000 years, Susan was also engaging her own “inner artist” and falling in love with performing, sharing stories, and singing.
Through her music, Susan continues to share her experiences as an Inuk growing up in Nunavut, as well as the challenges faced by northern communities and Indigenous youth. She is actively involved in various projects to bring food and support to northern communities and in 2016 the Arctic Rose Foundation gained charitable status with a focus on helping youth in the North through art and other engaging creative projects.
Join Twin Flames Canadian Folk Music Awards Winners for Aboriginal Songwriters of the year. Together they create a sonic landscape that spans Canada’s vast country; they transcend cultural boundaries and inspire unity. Building bridges across cultures, continents, and styles, Twin Flames brings a richness of personal history and musical experience. Honouring their ancestor’s and Indigenous Backgrounds (Jaaji Inuit, Mohawk and Chelsey metis, Algonquin Cree), they sing songs in English, Inuktitut and French. Together they represent all three Indigenous groups in Canada. Twin Flames push the boundaries of “Contemporary Folk,” with songs that incorporate both Western and traditional instruments. Their songs tell stories of courage and survival. Prepare to dive into the hearts and minds of the beloved couple; they guarantee a musical journey like no other.
David was in born on the northern part of Nueltin Lake, Nunavut southwest of Arviat, Nunavut. He lived through hardships from birth into the 1960s, as a result of his family, along with other Ahiarmiut, being moved numerous times by the Federal Government.
David received his primary education in Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove in the 1960s. In the early 70s he worked in the art industry in Arviat to promote the Inuit art from local carvers. He got interested in education when he was a halftime classroom assistant in the 1970s and shortly after he found himself in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories at the Teacher Education Program. In the summer of 1978, shortly after his graduation, he returned to Arviat to start his teaching career. Education is life-long learning for David and in 1993-1994 he received his Bachelor of Education from McGill-Arctic College.
David has worked in many levels in education as a teacher (primary/high schools), vice-principal, principal, Instructor at Nunavut Arctic College, and as a curator at the British Museum of Mankind in England. He was language and cultural instructor at Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS) a college preparation program for young Inuit in Ottawa. David helped to develop Inuktitut (language) teaching materials at all levels local, regional and territorial.
David is much in demand at regional, national and international events. He regularly gives workshops in drum dancing and drum making across Canada and at conferences around the world. He was a member of the Winter Olympic Symposium Committee in Vancouver and took part in the opening and closing ceremonies and in launching the Aboriginal Pavilion at the games in 2010.
David spends much of his time making Inuit drums and teaching youth about the art of drum dancing. He and his wife Lesley have three grown daughters, Amanda, Meeka and Karla. David spends many hours with his six grandchildren, Briana, Makayla, Kyle, Laura Ryan and Emma.
Traditional and contemporary Inuit throat singers Charlotte Qamaniq from Iglulik, Nunavut, and Cynthia Pitsiulak from Kimmirut, Nunavut, have been performing nationally and internationally for 15 years, singing songs that have been passed down by Inuit women through generations. Together they comprise the performing duo Silla.
Nunavut Sivuniksavut is a post-secondary institution located in Ottawa, Ontario. It is dedicated to providing Inuit youth with unique cultural and academic learning experiences. Students attending Nunavut Sivuniksavut develop knowledge, skills and positive attitudes needed to contribute to the building of Nunavut. Students are filled with joy and pride when they perform and share Inuit culture with audience members.
Laurie began her stage management career with English Theatre and Jean Roberts’s company at the National Arts Centre. Since then, she has been honoured to work with NAC English Theatre, NAC Indigenous Theatre, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and NAC Popular Music and Variety. Laurie has been production stage manager for the Shaw Festival and Theatre Calgary and stage manager for, amongst others, the Arts Club Theatre Company, The Globe Theatre, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Mirvish Productions, the Stratford Festival, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Grand Theatre, Theatre New Brunswick, and Neptune Theatre.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees