National Arts Centre Orchestra Concludes Canada 150 Tour in Yellowknife on December 9
Highlight Includes Performances by Award-Winning Yellowknife Artists
OTTAWA, December 6, 2017 — Members of Canada’s National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra, along with Music Director Alexander Shelley will conclude the landmark Canada 150 Tour with concerts and music education activities in Yellowknife on December 9.
The tour concludes with a chamber music concert at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre at 7:30 p.m. on December 9. The concert includes a diverse lineup of performances by musicians from the NAC Orchestra, as well as renowned guest artists from the Northern territories. In addition, during their daylong visit, NAC Orchestra musicians will be working with local students, educators, community leaders and artists, and will take part in music education activities such as master classes, coaching sessions and in-school chamber concerts (see full list below).
The evening program includes a performance of The Raven Conspiracy string quartet by award-winning Yellowknife composer Carmen Braden. The piece, an excerpt from the artist’s debut album Ravens, crosses genre boundaries and creates a musical space where different styles coexist. Carmen’s music is greatly tied to her sub-Arctic soundscape. She draws from various environmental and human phenomena through sonic, visual, sensual and scientific ways of understanding.
The Canada 150 Tour began in Atlantic Canada in April and May this year, resuming in October in the Western provinces. The final Northern leg of the Tour had its first stop on November 5 in Whitehorse, Yukon, followed by a stop in Iqaluit from December 4-6. The tour concludes with the December 9 concert in Yellowknife.
PERFORMANCE BY YELLOWKNIFE’S LEELA GILDAY AND CO-CREATOR SYLVIA CLOUTIER
Singer-songwriter Leela Gilday and throat singer Sylvia Cloutier are set to perform their NAC-commissioned work which explores the theme of motherhood. The four-part work is a reflection of the female energy in nature and the natural cycle of giving life, nurturing growth, love and letting go.
A passionate singer-songwriter raised in Yellowknife, 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 traveller into a beautiful world that transports the listener.
Sylvia Cloutier, originally from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik (Northern Quebec) but now living in Iqaluit, is well-known for performing Inuit throat-singing and drum dancing. She has collaborated with many artists all over the world and joined then-Governor General Michaëlle Jean on a state visit to Norway and Ukraine in 2009.
EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
During their visit to the Northwest Territories, NAC Orchestra musicians will take part in several educational activities. These activities – master classes, coaching sessions and in school chamber concerts – are part of the ambitious Canada 150 Tour line-up of some 250 education and community events. Arts education is a cornerstone of all NAC Orchestra tours as musicians and guest artists engage with students, educators, community leaders and local artists.
FOLLOW THE TOUR ONLINE
People from across Canada and around the world can follow this extraordinary tour by visiting nacotour.ca. Daily reports will also be posted on Facebook and Twitter @NACOrchestra.
PARTNERS IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATION
The Canada 150 Tour is made possible with leadership support from Tour Patrons Gail and David O’Brien, Presenting Supporters Alice and Grant Burton, Supporting Partners Peng Lin & Yu Gu, Education Partner Dasha Shenkman, and Digital Partner Facebook.
ABOUT ALEXANDER SHELLEY AND THE NAC ORCHESTRA
Alexander Shelley is Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and was Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra from 2009 to 2017. He is also Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s ECHO and Deutsche Gründerpreis winning “Zukunftslabor”. Formed in 1969 at the opening of Canada's National Arts Centre, the NAC Orchestra gives over 100 performances a year with renowned artists including Itzhak Perlman, Renée Fleming, James Ehnes, Emanuel Ax and Yo-Yo Ma. It is noted for the passion and clarity of its performances and recordings, its ground-breaking teaching and outreach programs, and nurturing of Canadian creativity. Since its inception, the Orchestra has commissioned 80 works, mostly from Canadian composers. In 2001 it inaugurated the National Arts Centre Awards for Canadian Composers and the recipients thus far have been Denys Bouliane, John Estacio, Peter Paul Koprowski, Gary Kulesha, Alexina Louie and Ana Sokolović.
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FOR INTERVIEWS OR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
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Allison Caverly Communications Officer, NAC Orchestra Cell: 613 286-5346 |