≈ 90 minutes · No intermission
Last updated: October 23, 2021
Repertoire
Octet Autumn Equinox
Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund (b. 1972) is considered one of the most important European composers of his generation. His compositions, which include operas, orchestral, chamber, and solo works, reflect his interest in large-scale forms and an in-depth view of music, with which he expresses fundamental questions and existential experiences. Musical drama combined with powerful expression and lively communication, as well as an openness to various musical traditions are hallmarks of his works.
Fagerlund gives the following description of his Octet, entitled Autumn Equinox (2016):
The additional name of my Octet, “Autumn Equinox”, comes from the relation the piece has to my new opera, Autumn Sonata. I worked on the opera over two and a half years and during that time I also started working on the Octet. Some of the moods and musical materials from the opera are therefore distantly present in the Octet—kind of as a reflection.
When [violinist] Liza Ferschtman asked me to compose an Octet, the thought of tackling the traditional “Schubert Octet” instrumentation [clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, and bass] felt almost overwhelming but I have been enormously inspired by Liza´s and her colleagues wonderful musicianship and that gave me the impulse for composing this intensive and sometimes almost explosive chamber ensemble piece."
The Octet consists of three movements. In the beginning of the first movement all the basic musical material for the whole piece is presented. As in many of my latest works (both orchestral and chamber musical) the musical materials are very rhythmically charged and energetic. Overlapping and colliding they constantly create new multilayered situations that emerge and unfold in the music.
The second movement presents a very static sound world where harmonic and melodic structures from the first movement are slowed down and expanded. The movement ends with a quote from musical material from the opera. In the third movement all the rhythmic and energetic musical material return with force. I feel, though, that working with the opera has given me a new insight into the use of melody and long expressive musical arcs and this is something which I think is present in this composition in general as well.
Program notes compiled by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Piece for Violin and Clarinet
One of Canada’s internationally renowned and most frequently performed composers of the 20th century, Claude Vivier (1948–1983) completed 50 works during his brief but brilliant career. (His life was tragically cut short when he was murdered in Paris at age 34.) He composed Piece for Violin and Clarinet in 1975, as one of a commission of seven pieces for the prestigious Tremplin International Music Competition in Canada for young performers. As musicologist Bob Gilmore has noted, it is the final, “intriguing afterthought” to the set, and “as befits a set of competition pieces, each work is a far-going exploration of its featured instrument, providing an opportunity to show off the performer’s technique to best advantage.”
This relatively early work shows Vivier’s mastery of—and creativity with—the unique timbres of each instrument of the duo, individually and in combination. The general arc of the piece follows the violin and clarinet, moving together and in dialogue, from the lower registers of their instruments to ethereal heights by the end. There’s an improvisatory quality in the way they muse on and explore various motivic ideas—a single note, at first, then progressing to expansive scale patterns, as in the climatic centre of the piece. Soft, mysterious melodic passages are sometimes suddenly interrupted by—or erupt into—outbursts, and then, just as quickly, dissipate into the ether. Overall, the mood is somewhat haunting, reflective, and otherworldly, seeming to, as Gilmore has described Vivier’s music, “inhabit a twilight realm between reality and the imagination.”
Program note by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Bioluminescence for brass septet *NAC Commission/World Premiere
The music of Canadian composer Keiko Devaux (b. 1982) embraces a love of electroacoustic sounds and methodology by manipulating and distorting acoustic sound with digital tools, and then transcribing or re-translating these back into musical notation and the acoustic realm. In 2020, she was announced as one of the NAC’s new Carrefour Composers, a program in partnership with the Canada Council. Her first commission as Carrefour Composer is for brass septet. Bioluminescence (2021) has members of the NACO brass use multiphonics, a technique of producing two or more pitches simultaneously, to sonically evoke the glow of fireflies. She provides the following commentary about the piece:
“I have always been drawn to the elusive and dynamic quality of bioluminescence. An adaptation of marine and terrestrial organisms that serves varied functions, it expresses itself in countless complex beautiful ways, and has evolved numerous times. Earlier in history human encounters with various forms of luminescent emitting organisms were hypothesized to be perhaps even of the spirit world. The bioluminescence at the surface of the water took on multiple hypotheses as well: the reflection of stars, fire from undersea volcanoes, lights from phantom fishing boats. In Japanese folklore it was sometimes referred to as Onibi, a type of atmospheric ghost light that carries the spirits from humans and animals: the 'burning sea' as voyagers often referred to it.
Fireflies, a commonly studied form of terrestrial bioluminescence, also carry symbolism of the spirit world and the elusive light. The unpredictable flashing rhythms further feed into the sensation that they are not really there. As the majority of these bioluminescent creatures emit light only in quiet, dark areas, or in the deep dark waters of the open ocean, it is a phenomenon to seek out, to remain quiet, and patiently wait for. It is a special event, with unpredictable qualities, and a fragile complexity.
This work Bioluminescence takes inspiration from this marvel of an experience to explore the world of brass multiphonics. Multiphonics, particularly those in the brass family, carry these same qualities of complexity, fragility, and patience. The organization both rhythmically and spatially in this work aims to evoke, in a very abstract manner, the slow glowing and pulsating organisms in the deep sea. However other mannerisms, such as the group synchronization habits and rhythmic adaptation by proximity, evoke certain characteristics of certain firefly species. Bioluminescence is a homage to these pulsating and glowing gestures in nature, and in music.”
Program notes compiled by Dr. Hannah Chan-Hartley
Artists
“A two year residency that allows composers to work closely with Alexander Shelley and the National Arts Centre Orchestra is such an invaluable and exciting opportunity. Having meaningful access to musicians, the artistic direction, and the entire NAC team offers an immediate, rich, and personal approach to expanding, learning, and challenging myself as a composer for which I am immensely grateful.”
Keiko Devaux (b. 1982) is a contemporary music composer based in Montreal.
Her works have been performed in Canada, France, Germany, and Italy by various ensembles including Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Ensemble musica assoluta, Ensemble Arkea, Quartetto Prometeo, and Ensemble Wapiti among others. She composes regularly for diverse ensembles, as well as collaborating with choreographers and filmmakers.
Her approach embraces a love of electroacoustic sounds and methodology by manipulating and distorting acoustic sound with digital tools, and then transcribing or re-translating these interpretations back into musical notation and the acoustic realm. Her interests include emotional experience and affect, auto-organizational phenomena in nature and living beings, as well as “genre-blurring” by layering and juxtaposing contrasting melodic/harmonic skeletal elements of highly contrasting sonic sources. The distortion of the temporal, frequency, and timbral attributes allows the blurring between traditional tonal sounds and more electroacoustic-inspired “noise” gestures.
She has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Jan V. Matejcek Award for New Classical Music (2019), the Rotary Club Siena Award for distinction in her master courses with Salvatore Sciarrino (2018), the OUM composition prize (2016 and 2018), and the Jury and Public prizes of the Accès Arkea competition (2017). Her composition Ebb, premiered by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, was nominated as Création de l’année for the 2017-2018 Opus awards, and her work Ombra was a finalist for the Prix du CALQ - Œuvre de la relève à Montréal in the same year. In 2019, she won the inaugural Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music, at $50,000, the largest of its kind in Canada and one of the largest in the world.
From 2016 to 2018, she was the composer in residence with Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. She is an associate composer with the Canadian Music Centre, president of the board of directors of Codes d’accès, and past organizer of the Montreal Contemporary Music Lab.
Originally from British Columbia, she began her musical career in piano performance studies as well as composing, touring, and recording several albums in independent rock bands. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Écriture) and a Master of Music in instrumental composition from the Université de Montréal. She has also studied with Maestro Salvatore Sciarrino at L'Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy (2017-19). She is currently completing her doctorate in music composition and creation at Université de Montréal under the direction of Ana Sokolović and Pierre Michaud.
When Quebec composer Claude Vivier was murdered in his Paris apartment at the age of 34, he was already highly regarded as one of Canada’s most important composers. Since that time Vivier’s reputation has taken on almost mythic proportions, and his music continues to be performed with a regularity seldom seen in contemporary composers. Following the announcement of Vivier’s death, critic and musicologist Harry Halbreich wrote in Harmonie-Panorama Musique that “his music really resembles no other, and he puts himself right on the fringe of all trends. His music, of a direct and disruptive expression, could bewilder only those hard-hearted people who are unfit to categorize this independent man of genius. Claude Vivier found what so many others have sought for, and still seek: the secret of a truly new simplicity.”
Vivier studied in Montreal, then in Holland, France and Germany. A deep affection for Asian cultures led him to an extended stay in Bali, whose music influenced his own. A fascination with plainchant deriving from his Catholic upbringing and an abiding concern with death and immortality also colored his music. At the time of his own death he was writing a choral piece called Glaubst du an die Unsterblichkeit der Seele? (Do you believe in the immortality of the soul?)
-By Robert Markow
Principal Guest Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa and Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds has a dual career as a conductor and violin virtuoso and is widely recognized for his creative flair for programming as well as his rousing yet refined performances. As Artistic Director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, a title he has held for over 25 years, Storgårds earned global critical acclaim for the ensemble’s adventurous performances and award-winning recordings.
Internationally, Storgårds appears with such orchestras as the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, the Vienna Radio Symphony, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as all of the major Nordic orchestras, including the Helsinki Philharmonic, where he was Chief Conductor from 2008 to 2015. He also regularly returns to the Münchener Kammerorchester, where he was Artistic Partner from 2016 to 2019. Further afield, he appears with the Sydney, Melbourne, Yomiuri Nippon and NHK symphony orchestras, as well as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.
Storgårds’s award-winning discography includes not only recordings of works by Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn, but also rarities by Holmboe and Vask, which feature him as violin soloist. Cycles of the complete symphonies of Sibelius (2014) and Nielsen (2015) with the BBC Philharmonic were released to critical acclaim by Chandos. November 2019 saw the release of the third and final volume of works by American avant-garde composer George Antheil. Their latest project, recording the late symphonies of Shostakovich, commenced in April 2020 with the release of Symphony No. 11. In 2023, Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic were nominated for Gramophone magazine’s Orchestra of the Year Award.
Storgårds studied violin with Chaim Taub and conducting with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas. He received the Finnish State Prize for Music in 2002 and the Pro Finlandia Prize in 2012.
Yosuke Kawasaki currently serves as Concertmaster of the NAC Orchestra and Guest Concertmaster of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo. His versatile musicianship allows him to pursue a career in orchestra, solo, and chamber music. His orchestral career began with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra and soon led to the Mito Chamber Orchestra, the Saito Kinen Orchestra, and the Japan Century Orchestra, all of which he led as concertmaster. His solo and chamber music career spans five continents, collaborating with artists such as Seiji Ozawa, Pinchas Zukerman, and Yo-Yo Ma and appearing in the world’s most prestigious halls such as Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Royal Concertgebouw.
Yosuke’s current regular ensembles are Trio Ink and the Mito String Quartet. His passion for chamber music led to his appointment as Music Director of the Affinis Music Festival in Japan. He is also an artistic advisor to the chamber music festival Off the Beaten Path in Bulgaria.
As an educator, Yosuke has given masterclasses and performed alongside students in schools across Canada. Well-versed in the string quartet literature, he was entrusted by Seiji Ozawa as the youngest faculty member of the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy at age 26. He was also an adjunct professor of violin at the University of Ottawa School of Music from 2013 to 2022 alongside the beloved pedagogue Yehonatan Berick.
Yosuke began his violin studies at age six with his father, Masao Kawasaki, and Setsu Goto. He was subsequently accepted into The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, where he furthered his education. He graduated from The Juilliard School in 1998 under the tutorship of Dorothy DeLay, Hyo Kang, Felix Galimir, and Joel Smirnoff.
Canadian violinist of German and Lebanese ancestry, Jessica Linnebach, has established herself as an accomplished artist with a thriving multi-faceted career encompassing solo, chamber, and orchestral performances.
Known for her “burnt caramel sound, utterly fearless virtuosity…and romantic lyricism” (Artsfile), Jessica has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. A passionate chamber musician, Jessica is a member of the Ironwood String Quartet along with her NAC Orchestra colleagues Emily Kruspe, Carissa Klopoushak, and Rachel Mercer. They are frequent performers at various chamber music series and festivals, including the NAC’s WolfGANG and Music for a Sunday Afternoon series and Ottawa Chamberfest, Pontiac Enchanté, Ritornello, and Classical Unbound festivals. As part of a commitment to reaching broader audiences, Jessica is one of the Artistic Directors of the Classical Unbound Festival, a chamber music festival in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Accepted to the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, Jessica remains one of the youngest-ever Bachelor of Music graduates in the school’s history. While there, Jessica’s primary teachers were Aaron Rosand, Jaime Laredo, and Ida Kavafian. At 18, she received her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she studied with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec.
Jessica resides in Ottawa, where she has been Associate Concertmaster with the NAC Orchestra since 2010. A natural leader, Jessica has performed numerous times as guest concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jessica plays a circa 1840 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Guarnerius del Gésu 1737) violin. Her bows are crafted by Ron Forrester and Michael Vann.
Vancouver-born violist Jethro Marks was appointed Principal Viola of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in the spring of 2011. He has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, China, Mexico, Europe, and Canada and is a frequent collaborator with many artists and ensembles. Jethro is the first violist of the Zukerman Chamber Players, a string ensemble led by Pinchas Zukerman that has completed highly acclaimed tours of festivals in Canada, the U.S.A., Europe, China, South America and New Zealand. The ensemble released its fourth CD in 2008.
One of five brothers growing up in a musical family, Jethro first studied violin with his father, who played in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. While attending Indiana University at Bloomington, he became intrigued by the rich, dark sound of the viola. He began to switch his focus and started studying with violist Atar Arad. Awards included first prize in the Kuttner Quartet Competition, first prize in the Concerto Competition, and the prestigious Performers Certificate. In 1998, Jethro was accepted into the Zukerman Program at the Manhattan School of Music as the only violist, and he won first prize in the MSM Concerto Competition. Jethro first participated in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artist Program in 1999, returning the following summer. He returned to the NAC Summer Music Institute in 2000 and 2001 as a mentor and made his CBC Radio debut in 2003, performing Paganini’s 24th Caprice on viola.
An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with some of the most illustrious artists and chamber groups of our day, including Leon Fleisher, Lynn Harrell, Gary Hoffman, Jaime Laredo, Michael Tree, Itzhak Perlman, Yefim Bronfman, Emanual Ax, and the Orion Quartet, and has participated in festivals around the world, including the Verbier Festival, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Festival de musique de St. Barthelemy, the Banff Festival of the Arts, the Lanaudière Festival, the Agassiz Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, Musica Mundi in Belgium, Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, and Mostly Mozart, as well as the 92nd St. Y, Jupiter, and Lyric Chamber Music Societies in New York City. Jethro is frequently featured in chamber music concerts in the National Arts Centre’s Music for a Sunday Afternoon series and at Ottawa Chamberfest.
He made his solo debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2004, playing Harold in Italy, and he premiered the Steven Gellman Viola Concerto with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra in 2007. In 2014, he performed Malcolm Forsyth’s concerto with cellist Amanda Forsyth. He frequently collaborates with Ottawa pianist Mauro Bertoli and plays numerous recitals throughout Canada.
Described as a "pure chamber musician" (The Globe and Mail) creating "moments of pure magic" (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across five continents.
Grand prize winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel is Principal Cello of the NAC Orchestra in Ottawa and Co-Artistic Director of the "5 at the First" Chamber Music Series in Hamilton and Orleans, Ontario. Rachel plays with the Mercer-Park Duo, the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio and the Ironwood Quartet, and was cellist of the JUNO award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada (2008-2020), the AYR Trio (2010-2020), and the Aviv Quartet (2002-2010). She has given masterclasses across North America, South Africa and Israel and talks on performance and careers in music.
An advocate for new Canadian music, Rachel has commissioned and premiered over 30 works, including cello concerti by Stewart Goodyear and Kevin Lau, as well as solo and chamber works by Vivian Fung, Andrew Downing, Alice Ho, David Braid, Kelly Marie-Murphy, John Burge, and Jocelyn Morlock. Recent chamber and solo albums include Kevin Lau: Under A Veil of Stars (Leaf Music), Our Strength, Our Song (Centrediscs), John Burge: One Sail (Naxos), Alice Ho: Mascarada (Centrediscs), and from 2012, the complete Bach Suites (Pipistrelle) with the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius Cello from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. Rachel currently plays a 17th-century cello from Northern Italy.
Bassist Hilda Cowie has always been surrounded by music. The daughter of a bassist and a trombonist, her path to a career in music was a natural one. She began studying the bass with her mother, a member of Symphony Nova Scotia, upon entering high school and continued as a student of Joel Quarrington at the University of Toronto and the RCM Glenn Gould School.
Hilda is an active member of the Canadian music scene and has performed coast to coast in various capacities. She has held positions as principal bass of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Kingston Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with major Canadian orchestras including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Opera Company, Symphony Nova Scotia, and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal.
Hilda can be heard on recordings by the NAC Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Banff Centre’s Gruppo Montebello and has performed in solo recital in Ottawa, Halifax, and Toronto. She enjoys frequently performing chamber music with friends and colleagues.
Hilda has been a member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 2001.
Kimball Sykes joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as Principal Clarinet in 1985.
Born in Vancouver, he received a Bachelor of Music from the University of British Columbia, where he studied with Ronald deKant. In 1982, Kimball 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 Ottawa Chamberfest.
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 the principal clarinet of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra.
Kimball has performed as a soloist with the NAC Orchestra numerous times. 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 Coplandʼs Clarinet Concerto, both conducted by Pinchas Zukerman. Other groups he has appeared with as a soloist include Thirteen Strings, the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, and the Auckland Philharmonia.
Kimball 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 former NAC Orchestra principal musicians Donnie Deacon, Jane Logan, and Amanda Forsyth, included in the NAC Orchestra’s double Mozart CD for CBC Records and nominated for a Juno Award in 2004.
Kimball is currently on faculty at the University of Ottawa.
Christopher Millard, one of Canada’s best known woodwind artists, joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra as principal bassoon in 2004 after serving with the Vancouver Symphony and the CBC Radio Orchestra for 28 years. He is also the principal bassoon for the Grand Teton Music Festival and has made five concert tours with Valery Gergiev and the World Orchestra for Peace.
A distinguished teacher, Mr. Millard served on the faculty of Northwestern University until 2014, and continues to give masterclasses at many of the foremost music schools: Curtis Institute, New World Symphony, Manhattan School, Rice University, Indiana University, the National Orchestral Institute as well as in Canada at Domaine Forget. For 20 years, Mr. Millard was the bassoon professor for the National Youth Orchestra where he helped nurture a new generation of Canadian wind players. His students now occupy numerous positions in American and Canadian orchestras. A student of Roland Small and the legendary Sol Schoenbach at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Mr. Millard also studied with the great French flutist Marcel Moyse.
A regular guest artist and teacher at the Scotia, Banff, Orford and Ottawa Chamber Music Festivals, Mr. Millard has also appeared in concert and recordings with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Marlboro Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the International Double Reed Society and as a soloist with numerous orchestras. He regularly performs at home and on tour with the National Arts Centre Wind Quintet, a highly acclaimed ensemble that has made a debut recording on the Naxos label.
Mr. Millard has received wide praise for his numerous recordings BIS, Naxos, Arabesque, CBC Records and Summit, including a disc in the prestigious “OrchestraPro” series. His recording of the Hétu Bassoon Concerto won a 2004 Juno Award. He is a recognized authority on the acoustics of reedmaking and a skilled woodwind technician.
A much sought-after chamber musician, Lawrence has performed with Andrew Dawes, Lynn Harrell, Joseph Kalichstein, Anton Kuerti, Malcolm Lowe, Menahem Pressler, Pascal Rogé, David Schifrin, Joseph Silverstein, and Pinchas Zukerman. He regularly performs at home and on tour with the National Arts Centre Wind Quintet, a highly acclaimed ensemble that has recorded for the Naxos label.
As a soloist, he has appeared with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and Ottawa's Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra. His festival credits include the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Banff Centre for Fine Arts, Cleveland's Kent/Blossom Music, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and Ottawa's Music and Beyond Festival.
An active teacher and clinician, Lawrence is proud to teach the horn studio at the University of Ottawa's School of Music. He previously taught at the University of Manitoba and has presented masterclasses at the Manhattan School of Music, Baltimore's Peabody Conservatory, Chicago's Roosevelt University, Toronto's Royal Conservatory of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University, and the Universities of Colorado, Toronto, British Columbia, Calgary and Victoria. He also serves on the faculty of the NAC Summer Music Institute.
The Toronto Globe and Mail praised his "fine, burnished playing"; the Winnipeg Free Press commended his "delicate phrasing, rounded tone, and sense of poise"; the Ottawa Citizen enthused that his "playing was assured, and his clear sound was remarkably subtle"; and the Montreal Gazette described his playing as "radiant."
Julie Fauteux, born in Sherbrooke, Quebec, joined the NAC Orchestra in 1999 as Associate Principal Horn. She studied at the Montreal Conservatory with James Somerville, where she finished with a "Premier Prix."
Immediately after her studies, at age 21, she was appointed Principal Horn of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia in Spain, and later the Principal Horn of the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, where she remained until coming to Ottawa in 1999.
Julie has performed with various orchestras as a soloist, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Sherbrooke and the Real Filharmonía de Galicia. She won the first prize in the brass category at the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec music competition and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada for three years.
Julie's career highlights also include being invited in 1998 to play concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Mariss Jansons.
Aside from orchestral playing, Julie also enjoys chamber music and teaching. She teaches horn at the Conservatoire de Musique de Gatineau and taught at the Academy of the Real Filharmonía de Galicia in Spain.
She was a faculty member at the Banff Centre in the summer of 2006. She also regularly takes part in Ottawa Chamberfest.
Louis-Pierre Bergeron has been the proud fourth horn of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since October 2017. Previously, he was third horn for the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, second horn for the Orchestre Métropolitain, and solo horn for the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières. He still collaborates frequently with Les Violons du Roy in Québec City.
Louis-Pierre studied with John Zirbel at McGill University, the natural horn with Teunis van der Zwart at the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Aspen Music Festival and School. An avid champion of the natural horn, he has performed and recorded with prestigious early music ensembles, notably the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Europa Galante.
Equally active in pop music, in 2015, Louis-Pierre Bergeron founded the Montreal Horn Stars brass quintet, for which he is also arranger. The group collaborates with artists such as Patrick Watson, Bernard Adamus, Louis-Jean Cormier and Klô Pelgag. They performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, at Francofolies de Montréal and at the Festival d’été de Québec.
Louis-Pierre gives educational concerts with his woodwind quintet Ayorama and for senior residents of healthcare establishments with Moon Palace, the duo he forms with his partner, NACO's Assistant Principal Cello, Julia MacLaine.
In his spare time, Louis-Pierre practices hockey, cross-country skiing, and cycling. He also collects music records and old instruments.
Karen Donnelly was unanimously appointed Principal Trumpet of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra in October 1999, following three successful seasons (1996-1999) as Acting Principal Trumpet and continues to enjoy each year with this wonderful ensemble.
Before joining the NAC Orchestra, Karen was a freelancer in Montreal, where she performed with most ensembles in the area, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Karen was the Principal Trumpet with Orchestra London (Canada) from 1994-1996. Karen has been guest Principal Trumpet with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and currently enjoys playing Associate Principal Trumpet with the Sun Valley Music Festival Orchestra.
Karen has been a featured soloist with many professional and community-based groups. These include the NAC Orchestra, Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra, the Kingston Symphony, the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London, the McGill Symphony Orchestra, Hannaford Silver Street Band, the National Honour Band of Canada, Parkdale Orchestra, the University of Regina Wind Ensemble and many high school bands in the region.
In 2019, Karen spearheaded a new initiative, the Canadian Women’s Brass Collective, to shine a light on female brass players and provide visibility and mentoring for all students.
Music education has always been very close to Karen’s heart. Her work with the True North Brass Quintet creates opportunities for educational concerts and workshops in schools. Through the NAC’s learning and engagement programs, Karen has given masterclasses in Switzerland, Mexico, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada.
Karen joined the teaching staff at the University of Ottawa in 2002, and since 2009, she has been the brass advisor for the OrKidstra program.
Karen studied at the University of Regina and McGill University, where she completed a Master of Music. But she wouldn’t be a musician without her school band program in her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan.
September 22, 1956—December 21, 2022
Born in Montreal, Donald Renshaw received his Bachelor degree in Music with distinction in trombone from McGill University in 1977 and a Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School in New York City in 1982.
After graduating in 1977, he freelanced in both the classical and commercial fields performing a wide spectrum of musical styles from early and contemporary music with such groups as the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal under Christopher Jackson on sackbut, and the Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec under Serge Garant, to performing in backup, jazz and dance big bands.
While in New York, he performed regularly at Carnegie Hall with the National Orchestra of New York. During this time, he attended summer sessions of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and the Tanglewood Festival in Massachusetts. In 1983, Mr. Renshaw was invited to perform with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra as Principal Trombone. He was appointed Principal Trombone of Orchestra London Canada in 1983, a position he held for three years while teaching at the University of Western Ontario.
In 1986, Don Renshaw became Principal Trombone of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and taught trombone, tuba and Jazz Ensemble at the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Hull from 1987 to 1994. He was a founding member of the Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet (now known as the NAC Brass Quintet), the Capital BrassWorks ensemble and the Ambassador Brass Trio, and taught at the University of Ottawa.
Don was the dear husband of Linda Renshaw, and proud father of two sons, Adam and Aaron.
Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, and raised in Regina, Colin Traquair has been the second trombone of 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 a 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.
A native of Toronto, Chris began playing tuba at age 12 at Winona Drive Senior Public School and instantly discovered a passion for performing.
During his time at Winona, Chris met Chuck Daellenbach of the Canadian Brass and performed over 50 concerts with the Winona Brass Quintet, including a tour of Japan. Chuck would serve as a role model and mentor for the remainder of Chris' career, and those early musical experiences with the quintet would leave an indelible imprint on him.
After graduating from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Chris' formal education included studies with Dennis Miller at McGill University, Alain Cazes at the Montreal Conservatory and Dan Perantoni at Indiana University. He spent his summers performing with various festival orchestras, including the National Academy Orchestra (Hamilton, Ontario), the National Repertory Orchestra (Breckenridge, Colorado), the National Orchestral Institute (College Park, Maryland), the Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra (Switzerland) and a memorable summer in the Ceremonial Guard band on Parliament Hill.
Chris' professional orchestral tuba career began overseas in Spain, where he performed as Principal Tuba with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia for two seasons from 2001 to 2003 before returning to Canada to take up the same position with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2003. Chris served as Principal Tuba with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for 15 seasons from 2003 until 2018, when he started as Principal Tuba with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Chris has been an active teacher and enjoys sharing his passion for music. While in Europe, Chris was the Professor of Tuba at the ESMAE School of Music in Porto, Portugal, and is the former instructor of Tuba at the University of Manitoba. He is very proud of his former students, who hold a variety of positions.
Chris has recorded with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Canadian Brass, and numerous studio recordings in the U.S. Chris has appeared as a soloist with a variety of ensembles, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the University of Manitoba Wind Ensemble and the National Youth Band of Canada. Chris gave the orchestral premiere of the Victor Davies Tuba Concerto in 2009 with the WSO and is always on the lookout for new tuba repertoire to perform for Canadian audiences. When he is not playing tuba, Chris enjoys running, golfing and spending time with his wife, Desiree and their two kids, Evelyn and Keenan.
Originally from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Sean Rice has performed extensively throughout North America and around the world. His broadcasts include recitals with CBC Radio, performances for Swiss Radio DRS, and Lucerne Festival live streams for the 2016 New York Philharmonic Biennial and the 2019 Lucerne Festival Alumni Orchestra.
Recognized as an exciting interpreter of contemporary music, the New York Times has described Sean as a “technically precise, exuberant protagonist” in performance. Sean has performed at festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Ottawa Chamberfest, New York City’s Museum of Modern Art Summergarden Series, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, and the Banff Music Festival. In addition to numerous New York Times reviews, Sean’s performances have received high praise from the Ottawa Citizen, Musical Toronto, and Artsfile. For a recent performance of Golijov’s Ayre at Ottawa Chamberfest, Musical Toronto wrote: “The performers were strong, especially NACO clarinetist Sean Rice, who unloaded a wailing solo that rivalled even the best Klezmer effort by Giora Feidman.”
Sean was invited at an early age to perform a concert with the National Arts Centre Orchestra during their 2002 Atlantic Tour and has subsequently appeared as a soloist with ensembles including the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Axiom, The New Juilliard Ensemble, and Symphony Nova Scotia. The recipient of numerous awards, Sean received first prize at the 2006 Canadian Concerto Competition hosted by the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. Following his 2007 Montréal debut at Jeunesses Musicales, La Presse wrote: “…clarinettiste canadien Sean Rice y révéla une technique impeccable, une authentique musicalité, une sonorité tour à tour éclatante et chaleureuse, et un vrai talent de chambriste.” Continuing the 2007–2008 season, Sean performed his first national tour with pianist Jean-Philippe Sylvestre for Jeunesses Musicales’ touring series. Since then, he has toured frequently throughout major cities across the United States, Europe, Malaysia, Brazil, and Japan.
As an educator, Sean has served as Visiting Professor at Memorial University (2017–2018) and Director of the Contemporary Music Ensemble at the University of Ottawa (2012–2017). He has been invited to give masterclasses at institutions such as the Royal College of Music, the Beijing Central Conservatory, the University of British Columbia, and the University of West England. Additionally, Sean has adjudicated numerous competitions, including the National Music Festival Competition held by the Canadian Association of Music Festivals. In the fall of 2021, Sean joined the clarinet faculty at the University of Ottawa.
As a conductor, Sean debuted in 2012 as the Director of the Contemporary Music Ensemble at the University of Ottawa. In 2017, he led an ensemble of musicians from the National Arts Centre Orchestra and made his international conducting debut at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Vancouver. Recently, Sean conducted the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra for its 2021–2022 season opener—their first performance since the pandemic.
Outside the concert hall, Sean has developed a significant profile as a classical music podcaster and host. Under his tenure, the National Arts Centre NACOcast has enjoyed great success and international recognition, with Classic FM continuing to list his podcasts among the top ten in the world for classical music. Sean also hosts the NAC's WolfGANG Sessions — a contemporary music series he helped design and curate for the National Arts Centre.
Sean is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland, where he received his Bachelor of Music while studying with Paul Bendzsa.
Continuing his studies under the tutelage of Charles Neidich, Sean graduated with a Master of Music and a Doctorate of Musical Arts from The Juilliard School. Currently living in Ottawa, audiences can hear him perform regularly as a recitalist, chamber musician, and Second Clarinet/Bass Clarinet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
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