Leela Gilday
A passionate singer/songwriter and soulful performer, Leela Gilday has a voice that comes straight from the heart. Confessing her stories to her audiences with a gutsy voice and open stage presence, Gilday weaves her experiences as a northerner, a member of the Dene nation, and a traveler into a beautiful world that transports the listener.
Born and raised in the Northwest Territories, she writes about the people and the land that created her. The power in her voice conveys the depth of her feelings of love and life in a rugged environment and vibrant culture, as if it comes straight from that earth. Leela’s family is from Délįne on the shore of Great Bear Lake and her rich vocals dance across the rhythmic beats of traditional Dene drumming as smoothly as a bass line onstage the largest venues in the country. And she has played them all.
Sylvia Cloutier
Sylvia Cloutier originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (Northern Quebec) living in Iqaluit, Nunavut, is a mother, performing artist, producer, director, well known for performing Inuit throat singing and drum dancing. She has collaborated with many artists all over the world including Think of One from Belgium; Tafelmusik, a Toronto based baroque orchestra; Montréal based DJ Geronimo Inutiq and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Cloutier is the co-founder of a performance company Aqsarniit producing shows that promote Inuit culture for special events such as the Nunavut Celebration at the Museum of Civilization in April 1999, Toonik Tyme and Alianait festival in Iqaluit, Canadian North’s Nunavut Day Gala in 2007, fashion shows for the Government of Nunavut promoting the high fashion seal skin products.
Ms. Cloutier was the producer for a television series Inuit Piqqusingit with Inuit Communication Systems Limited in 2000 learning about Inuit survival skills across Nunavut. She has also been involved as a motivational speaker for youth events and has worked extensively with creating training for youth in creative projects while addressing social issues such as video production, the development of murals, social theatre, music, dance and circus.
She was the Artistic Director of Qaggiq theatre company in Iqaluit, project manager at the Northern village of Kuujjuaq and collaborator with Social Hip Hop projects with the Blueprints for life team working in Inuit communities in Nunavik and Nunavut. In 2009, Mr. Cloutier was managing the social Circus program CIRQINIQ as the Recreation advisor for Arts & Culture at the Kativik Regional Government, a program developed for youth in Nunavik in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil’s social circus department Cirque du Monde.
She joined her Excellency Governor General Michaëlle Jean on the state visit to Norway and Ukraine in 2009 and was named “Woman of the Year” by Pauktutiit, the national Inuit women’s organization and later received an award for “Outstanding young woman of the year” by Qullit Nunavut women’s organization in 2013. Sylvia is the producer and co-director of TULUGAK bringing together Inuit performing artists from Canada and Greenland since 2011. She is currently a television Producer at Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in Iqaluit.
Marjolaine Lambert
Violinist Marjolaine Lambert, a native of Joliette but self-proclaimed Montrealer, started her music studies at the age of four years old, following the footsteps of her brother, violist Frédéric Lambert. At a young age, her natural talent led her to join the studio of Johanne Arel and Raymond Dessaints at Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, which she graduated from in 2005. With a passion for learning and broadening her general knowledge, she went to McGill University in the class of Denise Lupien. Studying the rudiments of mandarin as a minor, it led her to tour through China as Principal Second violin of the Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne.
Upon completion of her Bachelor's degree with honour, she went to Yale University for her Master's degree to study with Ani Kavafian. There, she thrived as the concertmaster of the Yale Philharmonia and winner of the Woolsey Concerto Competition. Establishing strong collaborations with contemporary composers, maestro Julian Wachner and herself created Novus NYC, an orchestra devoted to new music, of which she acted as concertmaster. She had the opportunity to premiere works by David Lang, Bernard Rands and Christopher Theofanidis.
Her passion for new music led her to pursue a Doctorate of Music at McGill University, with the support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, which focused on the hyper-violin created by Pierre Boulez in his Anthèmes. Her work with live electronics has brought her interesting and different kinds of projects, including the world premiere of Les Gestes, a creation of dance choreographer Isabelle Van Grimde.
Marjolaine has performed as a soloist under many conductors such as Yuli Turovsky, Peter Oundjian and Shinik Hahm. As a chambrist, she's been invited to perform often with Les Violons du Roy, I Musici and Arcos Chamber Orchestra.
In her rare spare time, Marjolaine enjoys watching an impressive amount of tv shows, discovering the depths of performance practice on her baroque violin or rocking out stadiums with Céline Dion.
She is thrilled to be a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, as of September 2016.
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Frédéric Moisan
Frédéric Moisan was born and raised in the Breton town of Saint-Brieuc in France. His teachers included Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Anne-Marie de Boisgisson and Dominique Barbier (Paris). After being awarded the Gold Medal for violin and chamber music in Saint-Brieuc, he began advanced orchestra training under Charles Frey in 2000 and took Patrick Fevai’s Masterclass at the Nantes Conservatory.
After graduating in 2002, Frédéric went to Finland to study with Tapani Yrjölä and won the “Young Soloist of North Karelia” award in 2003. This led to his joining the Joensuu Symphony Orchestra as an additional musician for two years.
In 2005, Frédéric left Finland to further his studies with Claude Richard at the University of Montreal. He obtained his master’s degree in music performance in 2007, and his doctorate in 2010. The subject of his doctoral thesis was the original 1902 version of Sibelius’s violin concerto. He became Professor Richard’s assistant for the following two years.
Frédéric has performed as a soloist in France, Finland and Canada. In March 2012 he performed the world premiere of Debussy’s Serenade for Violin and Orchestra as reconstructed from the composer’s musical sketches by Robert Orledge, with Paolo Bellomia conducting.
Prior to joining the National Arts Centre Orchestra in September 2016, Frédéric played solo violin with the Ensemble Arkea (conducted by Dina Gilbert), the Orchestre Philharmonique du Nouveau Monde and Orchestre 21, and was a violinist and founding member of "Collectif9." Much of his free time is devoted to teaching, a favourite pursuit.
Frédéric plays a Peter Westerlund violin, with a W.E. Hill bow on loan to him from a generous patron.
David Goldblatt
Violist David Goldblatt is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he received both his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. His teachers have included James Dunham, Lillian Fuchs, William Lincer and chamber music coaches from the Guarneri, Juilliard, Sequoia and American string quartets. David has been a member of La Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain) and was the assistant principal violist of L'Orchestra Sinfonica DellEmilia Romagna (Italy) during the 1987 Toscanini International Conducting Competition. In New York, he performed with the New Jersey Symphony and the New York City Ballet Orchestra. Formerly the principal violist of the Hamilton Philharmonic, David joined the NAC Orchestra in 1996 as assistant principal viola.
Leah Wyber
Leah Wyber is a native of Medicine Hat, Alberta. Her introduction to the cello began in a school strings program at the age of eight. She received her advanced musical training at the University of British Columbia and the Banff Centre. Eric Wilson, Paula Kiffner, and George Kiraly are among her most influential teachers.
Leah is a former member of La Pieta of Montreal, Thirteen Strings of Ottawa, the Atlantic String Quartet, and Joe Trio of Vancouver. She was also principal cello of the Newfoundland Symphony for several years. Some of the many festivals and programs she participated in include the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Scotia Festival, the Whistler Mozart Festival, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra.
Leah has been a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1993. In addition to performing alongside the wonderful cellists in the orchestra, she enjoys playing chamber music and teaching. Other interests include gardening, hiking, cross-country skiing, and curling.
Colin Traquair
Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, and raised in Regina, Colin Traquair has been second trombone with the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1989. He also played four seasons with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, and was principal trombone with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra from 1995-2002.
Studying with Frank Crisafulli and Arnold Jacobs, he received his Master’s degree from Northwestern University in 1988 and his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1985. Additionally, he studied in Berlin with Christhard Gössling, principal trombone of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Colin has performed as soloist with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and in the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, and has performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Symphony Nova Scotia. He is also a co-founder of the Ottawa-based Capital BrassWorks.
Kimball Sykes
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal clarinet in 1985.
Born in Vancouver, he received a Bachelor of Music Degree from the University of British Columbia where he studied with Ronald deKant. In 1982 Mr. Sykes was a member of the National Youth Orchestra and was awarded the first of two Canada Council grants to study with Robert Marcellus in Chicago. He has participated in the Banff School of Fine Arts Festival, the Scotia Festival, the Orford Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.
He has performed and toured with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and was a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. While in Vancouver, he was a founding member of the Vancouver Wind Trio. From 1983 to 1985 he was principal clarinet of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Sykes has performed as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra on numerous occasions. In May 2000, he gave the premiere performance of Vagues immobiles, a clarinet concerto by Alain Perron commissioned for him by the NAC, and in November 2002, he performed the Copland Clarinet Concerto, both conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. Other groups he has appeared with as soloist include Thirteen Strings, the Honolulu Symphony and the Auckland Philharmonia.
Mr. Sykes has performed numerous solo and chamber music programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He can be heard on the recent Chamber Players of Canada recording of Schubert’s Octet. He has also recorded the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with Pinchas Zukerman and NAC Orchestra principal musicians Donnie Deacon, Jane Logan and Amanda Forsyth which is included in the NAC Orchestra’s double Mozart CD for CBC Records which was nominated for a Juno Award in 2004.
Kimball Sykes is currently on faculty at the University of Ottawa.