The National Arts Centre Orchestra today announced programming details of its exhilarating 2011-2012 season – Pinchas Zukerman’s thirteenth season as Music Director and Principal Conductor. Subscriptions are now available at the NAC Box Office.

HIGHLIGHTS OF AN EXCEPTIONAL SEASON
The National Arts Centre Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is simply extraordinary, showcasing hundreds of musical moments – some beautifully familiar and some strikingly new – that will inspire and uplift music lovers. Highlights of the season include:

• The NAC Gala with Pinchas Zukerman, the NAC Orchestra, and special guest Sarah McLachlan (September 24) opens the season with a bang!
• The Russian Festival (September 27-October 6) consists of four evening concerts featuring Russian artists performing classics of the Russian repertoire by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich
• The Atlantic Canada Tour (November 14-25) covers all four Atlantic provinces and includes concerts, joint performances with Atlantic music organizations, music education events, a focus on the NAC’s young artist training programs, and a showcase of a new NAC-commissioned Canadian work
• The Jacques Hétu Celebration (February 8-9) showcases the life and music of prolific and influential Québec composer/educator Jacques Hétu on the second anniversary of his passing
• A rare joint concert features both the NAC Orchestra and London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) performing Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz
• RPO’s Principal Guest conductor Pinchas Zukerman joins the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as they perform Beethoven’s demanding Violin Concerto in D major, the Egmont Overture, and Elgar’s mysterious “Enigma” Variations
• During the course of the season, three of Beethoven’s revolutionary symphonies will be performed, including his most famous, Symphony No. 5
• All six of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos will be performed in one evening
• Ottawa’s Angela Hewitt plays Maurice Ravel’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in G
• The drama and terror of Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, a sacred masterpiece, and Carl Orff’s dramatically powerful epic cantata Carmina Burana will be featured in two separate concerts
• The Orchestra will perform for the first time Sibelius’s Symphony No. 4 in A minor and Prokofiev’s epic cantata Alexander Nevsky
• The extravagantly entertaining CTV Pops Series includes the music of ABBA and Ray Charles, tunes associated with Bond … James Bond, and music and film clips of glorious Hollywood musicals scored by Rodgers and Hammerstein

OVERVIEW
The entire season comprises classical concerts, pops concerts, kids’ concerts, lunchtime concerts, and Sunday afternoon concerts. There are fifty-one (51) separate events and ninety-one (91) performances – and that doesn’t include programming for summer 2012 or the NAC’s internationally acclaimed Summer Music Institute. The season is divided into nine separate series -- Mark Motors Audi Signature Series; Ovation Series; Bostonian Bravo Series; Great Performers Series; Special Concerts; CTV Pops Series; TD Bank Group Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra; Kinderconcerts; and Music for a Sunday Afternoon (MFASA) concerts, which are held at the National Gallery of Canada.

WORLD CLASS CONDUCTORS
Music Director Pinchas Zukerman will conduct fourteen National Arts Centre Orchestra concerts; audiences will also hear Maestro Zukerman perform on the violin and viola more than ever before! Jack Everly, Principal Pops Conductor, conducts three CTV Pops concerts, and Boris Brott conducts two TD Bank Group Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra. Notable guest conductors during the season include Trevor Pinnock, Julian Kuerti, Thomas Søndergård, Alexander Shelley, Arild Remmereit, and Peter Oundjian conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In 2011-2012, audiences will also be introduced to no fewer than five new conductors (all under the age of 50) who are making waves on the concert stages of the world – they are Hannu Lintu, José Luis Gomez, Jakub Hrusa, Pietari Inkinen, and Diego Matheuz.

WORLD CLASS GUEST ARTISTS
Other remarkable guest artists – both emerging and established, from across Canada and around the world -- performing during the season include pop icon Sarah McLachlan, pianists Louis Lortie, Jan Lisiecki, Garrick Ohlsson, Angela Hewitt, Jon Kimura Parker, Olga Kern, Yundi, Angela Cheng, Juho Pohjonen, Georgy Tchaidze, Behzod Abduraimov, Saleem Abboud Askhar, and Jean Desmarais; Alain Trudel, trombone; violinists Leila Josefowicz, Viviane Hagner, and Nikolaj Znaider; Natalie MacMaster, fiddle; and vocalists Nathalie Paulin, Adrianne Pieczonka, Erin Wall, Lucy Crowe, and Joyce El-Khoury, sopranos; Michelle DeYoung and Jill Grove, mezzo-sopranos; Daniel Taylor, countertenor; Russell Braun and Phillip Addis, baritones; The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (London), and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

MEMBERS OF THE NAC ORCHESTRA
Many members of the NAC Orchestra will be in the spotlight this season, including concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki in his concerto debut. Other NACO musicians playing substantial roles will be Amanda Forsyth, cello; Jessica Linnebach, violin; Karen Donnelly, trumpet; Joanna G’froerer and Emily Marks, flute; Joel Quarrington, double bass; Jethro Marks, viola; Charles Hamann, oboe.

MESSAGE FROM PINCHAS ZUKERMAN
Music Director Pinchas Zukerman says, “The 2011-2012 NAC Orchestra season brings about both familiar and unprecedented musical moments: three Beethoven symphonies; six Brandenburg concerti; premiere performances of Sibelius’s Symphony No. 4 and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, and two unforgettable concerts featuring London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. At the core of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is the concept of melody -- that rhythmically organized sequence of single tones which has the power to develop into something so beautiful it can move the listener to tears. The musicians of the NAC Orchestra fuse artistry, vitality and passion to create a collective musical soul that transcends the everyday. This is truly an exhilarating season.”

MESSAGE FROM CHRISTOPHER DEACON
Christopher Deacon, Managing Director of the NAC Orchestra, says, “This Orchestra has touring in its DNA, so we’re delighted to announce that, from November 14 to 25, the Orchestra will tour all four of Canada’s Atlantic provinces. From featuring young Canadian artists who have participated in the NAC’s Summer Music Institute – such as conductor Julian Kuerti and pianist Jan Lisiecki -- to partnering with various local arts and education institutions, this tour will really bring the Orchestra and Atlantic Canadians face to face in schools and concert halls. We’re especially delighted that Pinchas Zukerman will conduct a unique joint concert with Symphony Nova Scotia and the NAC Orchestra onstage together, with the proceeds going to the Halifax orchestra’s Listen to the Future endowment.”

The role of Canadian composers in the life of the NAC Orchestra continues to thrive.  Alberta composer and NAC Award-winner, John Estacio, will create a new work for the Orchestra which will receive its premiere at the NAC before being performed across Atlantic Canada on tour. Gary Kulesha, a past NAC Award winner, will have his Symphony No 3 performed during the season. In February, on the occasion of the second anniversary of the death of renowned Quebecois composer Jacques Hétu, the NAC will mount a major celebration of Hétu’s work -- including a concert featuring the NAC Orchestra conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, who had a long artistic relationship with the composer. Christopher Deacon continued, “The NAC is proud to honour one of this country’s great artists. Jacques had a unique voice that spoke to audiences around the world, enriching the world in the process. He was a good friend of the Orchestra, our Music Director, and our audiences and he deserves this tribute.”

WHY SUBSCRIBE TO THE NAC ORCHESTRA?

• It’s an exceptional experience – feel it live! NAC Orchestra concerts are thrilling communal experiences shared with 2000 other music lovers. They can be stimulating, moving, romantic, revitalizing – and above all, extraordinarily enjoyable. Whatever one’s personal taste in music, an NAC Orchestra concert will be inspiring and uplifting.
• Incredible music. Enjoy familiar classical masterpieces, exciting new works, and spectacular pops entertainment designed to delight and amaze music lovers of every taste.
• Subscriber benefits. Subscribers enjoy the best prices, the best seats, and the best benefits, including free ticket exchanges and exclusive offers.
• Convenience. Subscribing is the very best way for patrons to enjoy this great orchestra and guarantee their preferred seats – they’ll never be disappointed by a “Sold Out!”sign.
• Affordability. NAC Orchestra concerts are accessible to all, and ticket prices are frozen this year. Concert prices start at $20.50, and subscribers save even more – prices start at $17.50 per concert (all prices include HST (13%) and NAC Facility Fee).

The NAC ORCHESTRA 2011-2012 SEASON

THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE GALA
One Enchanted Evening with Sarah McLachlan -- September 24

A highlight of the music and social season for the past fifteen years, the NAC Gala is incomparable! Maestro Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra welcome a truly special guest -- Canadian singer-songwriter superstar Sarah McLachlan. The Gala begins with a magnificent concert featuring Pinchas Zukerman and the NAC Orchestra, and Sarah McLachlan and her hand-picked fellow musicians will join the Orchestra for a sensational second half.

Sarah McLachlan’s gorgeous mezzo-soprano voice and deeply emotional ballads have propelled her to the top of the charts. Co-founder of the all-female Lilith Fair music festival and recipient of numerous JUNO and GRAMMY® awards, McLachlan has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her latest top-selling album, Laws of Illusion, is the culmination of a 20 year career. This year, Ms McLachlan has been nominated for two 2011 JUNO Awards, ‘Pop Album of the Year’ and ‘Artist of the Year.’ The singer’s life experiences have profoundly enriched her artistry and infused her songs with the full range and complexity of emotions. In Sarah McLachlan, we hear the strength of hard–earned independence, the trials of love won, lost, and found anew -- and the infinite joys of living.

All 2011-2012 NAC Orchestra season subscribers enjoy a special priority purchasing period from April 1 to April 15 before tickets go on sale to the general public on May 17.

The NAC Gala -- benefitting the NAC Foundation’s National Youth and Education Trust – is presented for a second year by Sun Life Financial, a sponsorship that reflects Sun Life Financial’s commitment to supporting the artistic development of young Canadians. The NAC Gala is also delighted to welcome Vale as the Associate Sponsor this year.

RUSSIAN FESTIVAL -- September 27-October 6
Join Pinchas Zukerman and the NAC Orchestra as the regular 2011-2012 orchestra season opens with another spectacular don’t-miss Festival! The Russian Festival is a kaleidoscope of lush melodies, fabulous orchestration, and dramatic emotional expression. The four concerts – all conducted by Maestro Pinchas Zukerman -- throw a spotlight on the drama, power, and passion of dazzling masterworks of the Russian repertoire performed by breathtaking Russian soloists. All concerts feature pre-concert talks.

The Russian Festival concerts are:

• Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto (a Bostonian Bravo Series concert) -- September 27

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, and Kirill Gerstein, piano, perform Tchaikovsky’s perennially popular Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 

• Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky (a Bostonian Bravo Series concert) -- September 30

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor/violin, and Behzod Abduraimov, piano, perform Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, Prokofiev’s crisp and vital Piano Concerto No. 3, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4

• Alexander Nevsky (an Ovation Series concert) -- October 5

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, Olga Kern, piano, Karen Donnelly, trumpet, Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano, and combined Ottawa choruses perform in a concert featuring Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, Shostakovich’s witty Piano Concerto No. 1, and Prokofiev’s stirring cinema score Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78

• Romantic Rachmaninoff (an Ovation Series concert) -- October 6

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, and 2009 Honens first laureate Georgy Tchaidze, piano, perform Rachmaninoff’s achingly romantic Piano Concerto No. 2 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1

ATLANTIC CANADA TOUR -- November 14-25

Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra lives up to its name, serving the entire country with its frequent tours. The Orchestra has performed worldwide in the last four decades, including 118 concerts in cities across Canada. This tradition of engaging communities will continue with the Orchestra’s eighth visit to the Atlantic region. The Atlantic Canada Tour includes visits to all four Atlantic provinces, with concerts in St. John’s, Charlottetown, Halifax, Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John. The Atlantic Canada Tour will highlight the NAC’s young artist training programs by bringing alumni of the NAC’s Summer Music Institute -- Canadian conductor Julian Kuerti and Calgary pianist Jan Lisiecki – to Eastern Canadian audiences. Members of the NAC’s Institute for Orchestral Studies – a string quintet of young artists preparing for professional careers – will perform alongside NAC Orchestra musicians, and the Tour features dozens of music education events in schools and other venues. The Tour is made possible through the generous support of corporate partners and individual donors.

In the spirit of partnership, the Atlantic Canada Tour will feature a joint performance with Shallaway, Newfoundland’s extraordinary youth choir, and collaboration with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra’s Sistema, a program promoting social change through music. Having created a new work for the Tour, NAC Award-winning composer John Estacio will accompany the Orchestra, meeting audiences and students in every city. The signature Tour event will be a remarkable joint performance of Symphony Nova Scotia and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, with proceeds going to support Symphony Nova Scotia’s ‘Listen to the Future’ endowment.

Concert partners for the NAC Orchestra’s Atlantic Canada Tour are the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Symphony New Brunswick, New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Capitol Theatre, and The Playhouse.

JACQUES HÉTU CELEBRATION -- February 8-9, 2012

The National Arts Centre Orchestra celebrates the life and music of gifted Québec composer and educator Jacques Hétu, one of Canada’s most esteemed and frequently performed composers. Hétu’s catalogue includes some 70 works, including symphonies, opera, choral and chamber music, and concertos for numerous instruments. M. Hétu was a dear friend of the NAC. His relationship with the National Arts Centre began in 1977, when the NAC commissioned Antinomie, and Pinchas Zukerman chose two works by Hétu to showcase on the Orchestra’s landmark European tour in 1990 and on the 2006 Quebec tour. The National Arts Centre had commissioned a major new work from Jacques Hétu, but his untimely death in 2010 intervened. Marking the second anniversary of his passing, the Jacques Hétu Celebration will include two concerts, both of which are free. There will be one concert in Southam Hall with the NAC Orchestra conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, and one concert featuring smaller ensembles at the National Gallery of Canada.

• February 8 – Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre, 8 p.m.

Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, Alain Trudel, trombone, and Nathalie Paulin, soprano, perform in a concert featuring the NAC Orchestra playing four works by Jacques Hétu: Antinomie; Trombone Concerto; Les clartés de la nuit; and Symphonie No. 3

• February 9 – Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada, 8 p.m.

The NAC Wind Quintet, Quatuor Bozzini, Joanna G’froerer and Emily Marks, flute, Joel Quarrington, double bass, and Louise Bessette, piano, perform works by Hétu and his teachers, Jean Papineau-Couture, Olivier Messiaen, Henri Dutilleux and Lukas Foss. The concert includes Papineau-Couture’s Fantaisie pour quintette à vent; Hétu’s Sérénade, Op. 45 for flute and string quartet; Messiaen’s Extracts from Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jésus; Dutilleux’s Ainsi la nuit for string quartet; Foss’s For Toru for flute, string quartet and double bass; and Hétu’s Quintette

MARK MOTORS AUDI SIGNATURE SERIES (6 concerts)

Mighty Beethoven and Brahms, transcendent Mozart, and a beaming Sibelius combine for a series that abounds with musical brilliance.

• Beethoven’s Fifth -- October 12-13. Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu makes his NAC debut and violist Leila Josefowicz is featured in Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on a Theme by Tallis, Thomas Ades’s Violin Concerto, “Concentric Paths”, Op. 24, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5
• Mozart and Brahms -- November 9-10. Conductor Julian Kuerti and 16-year-old piano phenomenon Jan Lisiecki are featured in a concert that includes Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, and the world premiere of a new work commissioned by the National Arts Centre from NAC Award-winning composer John Estacio
• Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto -- February 1-2. Pinchas Zuckerman, conductor, and Viviane Hagner, violin, are featured in Weber’s Overture to Der Freischutz, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2
• Sublime Mozart -- April 25-26. Eric Friesen hosts, Pinchas Zukerman conducts and plays the violin, and Garrick Ohlsson is the piano soloist in an all-Mozart program featuring Piano Concerto No. 9, “Jeunehomme”, concert arias, and Symphony No. 36, “Linz”
• Veni Veni Emmanuel -- May 16-17. José Luis Gomez, conductor, and Colin Currie, percussion, are featured in Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville, Haydn’s Symphony No. 100, “Military”, James MacMillan’s Veni Veni Emmanuel , and Ginastera’s Four Dances from Estancia
• Brahms’s Double Concerto -- June 13-14. Pinchas Zukerman conducts and NACO musicians Yosuke Kawasaki (violin), Jethro Marks (viola), Amanda Forsyth (cello), and Joel Quarrington (double bass) are featured in Mozart’s Serenade No. 6, “Serenata notturna”, Haydn’s Symphony No. 92, “Oxford”, and Brahms’s Double Concerto for Violin and Cello

OVATION SERIES (6 concerts)

Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony contemplates nature. Verdi’s immortal Requiem addresses spirituality. Immerse yourself in music that seeks to understand and masterfully reflect the world in which we live.

• Alexander Nevsky (part of the Russian Festival) -- October 5. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, Olga Kern, piano, Karen Donnelly, trumpet, Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano, and combined Ottawa choruses are featured in Tchaikovsky’s overture to Romeo and Juliet Fantasy, Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78, a spectacular masterpiece for chorus and orchestra
• Romantic Rachmaninoff (part of the Russian Festival) -- October 6. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, and Georgy Tchaidze (2009 Honens first laureate), piano, are featured in Rachmaninoff’s lushly sweeping Piano Concerto No. 2 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1
• Brilliant Brahms -- October 26-27. Thomas Søndergård, conductor, and Juho Pohjonen, piano, are featured in Canadian composer Gary Kulesha’s Third Symphony, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, and Brahms’s Symphony No. 2
• Bruch and Beethoven -- January 11-12. Alexander Shelley, conductor, and NAC Orchestra Concertmaster Yosuke Kawasaki, violin  -- making his Southam Hall concerto debut -- are featured in Schubert’s Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished”, Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral”
• Parker performs Grieg -- February 15-16. Jakub Hrusa, conductor, and audience favourite Jon Kimura Parker, piano, are featured in Stravinsky’s Concerto for Chamber Orchestra “Dumbarton Oaks”, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Dvo?ák’s Symphony No. 6
• Verdi’s Requiem -- May 30-31. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, Adrianne Pieczonka, soprano, star soloists and combined Ottawa choruses perform Verdi’s Requiem one of the most enduring and spiritually moving concert works in the repertoire 

BOSTONIAN BRAVO SERIES (7 concerts)

With three of Tchaikovsky’s dazzling works, all six of Bach’s celebrated Brandenburg concerti and

Carmina Burana, this series brims with music certain to make your spirit soar.

• Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto (part of the Russian Festival) -- September 27. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, and Kirill Gerstein, piano, are featured in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2
• Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky (part of the Russian Festival) -- September 30. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor/violin, and Behzod Abduraimov, piano, are featured in Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4
• Hewitt’s Ravel -- November 3-4. Arild Remmereit, conductor, and Ottawa’s own Angela Hewitt, piano, are featured in Sibelius’s Symphony No. 4, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G and Dvo?ák’s Slavonic Dances
• Beethoven’s Seventh: Symphony of Dance -- January 5-6. Pietari Inkinen, conductor, and Saleem Abboud Askhar, piano, are featured in Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 7
• Zukerman, Znaider and Mozart -- February 23-24. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor/viola, and Nikolaj Znaider, violin, are featured in Jacques Hétu’s Symphony No. 3, Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante, and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto
• Carmina Burana -- March 8-9. Diego Matheuz, conductor, magnificent vocalists Erin Wall (soprano), Daniel Taylor (countertenor), Russell Braun (baritone), and combined Ottawa choruses are featured in Kodály’s Dances of Galanta, Marquez’s Danzon No. 2, and Carl Orff’s choral masterpiece, Carmina Burana
• Brandenburg Concerti -- April 19-20. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor/violin and viola, Yosuke Kawasaki, violin, Joanna G’froerer and Emily Marks, flute, and Andrew McCandless, trumpet – with piano soloist to be announced – perform all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti

 GREAT PERFORMERS SERIES (4 concerts)

Four visiting artists – two incredible visiting orchestras and two powerful pianists – grace the stage of Southam Hall to showcase talents from Canada and beyond.

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra -- January 16. London’s acclaimed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by their Principal Guest Conductor Pinchas Zukerman, who will also play solo violin, are featured in the Egmont Overture and Violin Concerto by Beethoven, and Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations
• Louis Lortie in Recital -- February 7. Louis Lortie, piano, plays Les Années de pèlerinage: Suite No. 1 and Les Années de pèlerinage: Suite No. 2 by Franz Liszt, as 2011 marks       the 200^th birthday of the composer.
• Yundi plays Chopin -- March 20. Chinese piano phenomenon Yundi, the youngest pianist ever to win the International Chopin Piano Competition piano, performs five works by Chopin: Five Nocturnes, Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante, Op. 22, Four Mazurkas, Op. 33, Sonata No.2, and Polonaise, Op. 53, “Heroic”
• Toronto Symphony Orchestra -- June 1. The always popular – and always sold-out Toronto Symphony Orchestra with Music Director and conductor Peter Oundjian on the podium, and guest Anton Kuerti at the piano, perform in a concert featuring Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”, Vivier’s Orion, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances

SPECIAL CONCERTS (3 concerts)

• Handel’s Messiah -- December 13-14 – 7 p.m. World-renowned conductor/harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock return to lead the NAC Orchestra and cast of stunning soloists – soprano Lucy Crowe, mezzo-soprano Jill Grove, and baritone Phillip Addis – along with the Ottawa Festival Chorus and The Ewashko Singers in Handel’s most beloved oratorio 
• Andrew Craig’s Gospel Christmas with the NAC Orchestra -- December 16 – 7 p.m. CBC personality Andrew Craig is the host and musical director of a concert that will raise the roof! The extraordinary singers include Jackie Richardson, Kellylee Evans, Alana Bridgewater, Christopher Lowe, Sharon Riley and The Faith Chorale
• Royal Philharmonic and National Arts Centre Orchestras -- January 17 – 8 p.m. This rare concert features both the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Arts Center Orchestra onstage. Pinchas Zukerman conducts and performs solo violin in Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 and in Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique

 CTV POPS SERIES (6 concerts)

Nothing compares to experiencing your favourite hits performed by the National Arts Centre Orchestra. From Rodgers and Hammerstein to Ray Charles, from Broadway to Bond, from Natalie MacMaster to ABBA, this series brings you the best in musical entertainment.

• Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Movies -- October 20-22. Jack Everly conducts as audiences experience Hollywood musicals as never before! You’ll watch stunning digitally re-mastered clips from such classics as The King and I, The Sound of Music and Carousel, while the Orchestra performs excerpts from their glorious soundtracks.
• A Ray Charles Tribute -- December 8-10. Jeff Tyzik conducts and the incomparable Ellis Hall is featured on piano and vocals in these dynamic renditions as the Orchestra grooves to Ray Charles’s greatest hits. With Hit the Road Jack, Georgia On My Mind and Unchain My Heart, this will be a soulful night at the Pops.
• Bond and Beyond -- January 19-21. Michael Krajewski conducts and vocalist Debbie Gravitte is featured as the Orchestra celebrates the 50^th anniversary of Bond… James Bond. It’s time to fall in love all over again with the themes from Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me, as well as music from other spy favourites, such as The Pink Panther, Mission: Impossible and more.
• A Celtic Celebration with Natalie MacMaster -- March 22-24. Jack Everly conducts and the amazing Natalie MacMaster burnps up the fiddle with selections ranging from Danny Boy to Brigadoon in this high-energy Celtic Celebration.
• Do You Hear The People Sing -- May 10-12. A stirring tribute to Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, creators of internationally successful classics of musical theatre. Jack Everly conducts vocal soloists direct from Broadway – as well as The Ewashko Singers and the Ottawa Festival Chorus -- in showstopping performances of the greatest hits from Les Misérables and Miss Saigon.
• The Music of ABBA -- June 7-9. Conductor Steve Reineke and Finnish vocal sextet Rajaton will have audiences dancing in the aisles as they rock Southam Hall with this unforgettable ABBA extravaganza.

TD BANK GROUP FAMILY ADVENTURES WITH THE NAC ORCHESTRA SERIES

 (4 concerts)

Dazzling performances, fun-filled audience participation, and entertaining storytelling make this unique series a great way to enjoy a Saturday afternoon. Each 60-minute bilingual concert (performed without intermission) also features TUNETOWN pre-concert activities organized by the Friends of the NAC Orchestra.

• A-BACH-cadabra -- October 29. Conductor Alain Trudel, actors Jean Marchand and Annie Lefebvre, and organist Thomas Annand entertain as Samara the witch and the NAC Orchestra set off on a “spooktacular” Halloween adventure to discover the great musical magician, Johann Sebastian Bach.
• The Mozart Experience -- January 14. Richard Lee, conductor; Magic Circle Mime Company; Maggie Peterson Douglas MacIntyre, actors; Timmy Chooi, violin; and Jason Nedecky, baritone. After catching a mischievous street musician in the act of playing the Orchestra’s grand piano, the Maestro guides her and her prankster companion away from mischief to a fascinating exploration of Mozart’s life.
• Winter Wonderland -- February 18. Boris Brott, conductor; The School of Dance; Merrilee Hodgins, choreographer; Tara-Louise Montour, violin; Bangers & Smash, and percussion duo (Kenneth Simpson, Jonathan Wade). From The Skater’s Waltz to favourites from The Nutcracker, experience a musical journey that will transform Southam Hall’s stage into a sparkling winter wonderland.
• Emily Saves the Orchestra -- April 28. Boris Brott, conductor; Platypus Theatre; Peter Duschenes, writer and actor; Danielle Desormais, actor. It’s a wild adventure as 10-year-old Emily must save the orchestra from the noisy monster, Cacopholous. Acclaimed Platypus returns for this wonderful introduction to classical music.

KINDERCONCERTS SERIES + 1 SPECIAL CONCERT
(5 concerts)

The National Arts Centre Orchestra and Jeunesses Musicales of Canada present four exciting chamber music concerts for children aged 3 to 8. Created for our youngest symphony fans, the NAC Orchestra’s Kinderconcerts Series is held in the Panorama Room and delights families with imaginative storytelling, glittering music and theatrical magic.

• Annabelle follows her voice -- November 20. Christina Tannous, soprano; Dominic Boulianne, piano. With her world-wide fame, soprano Annabelle Canto believes she can breeze through her audition and embark on a world tour.  If only Henry her accompanist will help!
• SPECIAL CONCERT: A Christmas Carol -- December 4. Special times: English performance 9:30 a.m., French performance 11 a.m. Pierre-Alexandre Saint-Yves, voice, flute, rauschpfeife, hurdy gurdy, Andrew Wells-Oberegger, voice, bouzouki, bagpipes, guitar, percussion, Chloé Dominguez, cello, Isabeau Proulx Lemire, actor. Children join in the fun as the Christmas ghosts, spirit-rappers and other colourful characters haunt mean old Ebenezer Scrooge and try to convince him to change his ways.
• Head in the Clouds -- January 29. Annabelle Renzo, harp. Follow Annabelle as she soars to a dream-like place where her harp can make it rain or shine, and she flutters alongside strangely named birds Handel, Debussy and Albéniz.
• Expedition of the Rhythmobile -- April 1. Bruno Roy and Thierry Arsenault, percussions. The all-terrain Rhythmobile has run out of gas and its driver and mechanic are lost in an unknown land. It’s a race to the finish as the adventurers search for precious fuel:  rhythm.
• All Aboard to Planet Alloy -- June 10. Stéphane Beaulac, trumpet, Martin Ringuette, trombone, Simon Harel, French horn. Astronauts have landed on Alloy, a strange planet whose inhabitants have no vocal cords. Join this unforgettable voyage where music is the intergalactic language.

 

MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON (MFASA) SERIES – 4 concerts

Don’t miss these four intimate chamber concerts featuring guest artists and members of the NAC Orchestra. Concerts take place on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada.

• October 16. James Thompson, trumpet, Stéphane Lemelin, piano, and members of the NAC Orchestra perform Saint-Saëns' s Septet in E-flat, Op. 65 for trumpet, string quintet and piano, Hindemith’s Sonata for trumpet and piano (1939), Stravinsky’s Octet for wind instruments, and Martinu’s La Revue de Cuisine  
• December 18. Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord, Lucy Crowe, soprano, Yosuke Kawasaki, violin, Charles Hamann, oboe, Karen Donnelly, trumpet, and members of the NAC Orchestra perform Telemann’s Overture-Suite for trumpet, oboe and strings D Major, “Tafelmusik”, Handel’s Chaconne & Variations in G for harpsichord and Trio Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 2, No. 3, and Scarlatti’s Cantata Pastorale per la Natività                                                                             
• February 26. Pinchas Zukerman, violin, Jessica Linnebach, violin, Jethro Marks, viola, Amanda Forsyth, cello, and Angela Cheng, piano, perform Brahm’s Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor and Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet
• April 29. Joyce El-Khoury, soprano, Jean Desmarais, piano, and members of the NAC Orchestra perform Turina’s Piano Quintet, Op. 1, Dvo?ák’s Gypsy Songs, Op. 55, Chausson’s Chanson perpetuelle, Op. 37, Sarasate’s Caprice basque, Op. 24, and Respighi’s Il Tramonto

‘MUSICALLY SPEAKING’

Join us at 7 p.m. for seventeen pre-concert chats offered in English or French, and four pre-concert music concerts (free with your concert ticket), or stay for any of ­­five post-concert talkbacks where audiences can pose questions directly to conductors, soloists, and other special guests. Pre-concert speakers include well-known CBC Radio and other media personalities and knowledgeable music lovers and critics, including Eric Friesen, Jean-Jaques Van Vlasselaer, Paul Kennedy, Paul Wells, Peter Tiefenbach, Robert Harris, Paul Lefebvre, and William Littler. Post-concert chats feature major artists, including Pinchas Zukerman, Julian Kuerti, Jan Lisiecki, Jon Kimura Parker, Garrick Ohlsson, and Nikolaj Znaider.

MORE WAYS TO EXPLORE AND ENJOY THE NAC ORCHESTRA

• Explore NAC podcasts.ca
  •    Find the NAC Orchestra on Facebook
  •    Follow the NACtwitter.com/CanadasNAC and Marjolaine Fournier on Twitter.com/NACOmarjo
  •    Online video interviews with Pinchas Zukerman and Jack Everly
  • All NACO subscribers receive Behind the Scenes, an electronic newsletter
  • Connect with the NAC via email alerts for concert reminders, news, announcements, and special offers at nac-cna.ca/emailalerts
  • Get behind the scenes with the NAC blog http://blog.nac-cna.ca
  • Engage in the arts with NAC videos at youtube.com/NACvideosCNA
  • Participate through photo-sharing flickr.com/nac-cna
    •    NAC MusicBox is a regularly updated online music archive with a timeline and over 200 high-quality recordings by the NAC Orchestra – free!
    • Learn about the arts artsalive.ca
    • Find out about all this and more by visiting www.nac-cna.ca or becoming our friend on Facebook

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND DONORS

The National Arts Centre would like to thank the Friends of the NAC Orchestra and our sponsors and donors who are generously supporting the NAC Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season: Astral Radio, proud sponsor of the My First NAC programs; Mark Motors of Ottawa, title sponsor of the Mark Motors Audi Signature Series and provider of the official Audi car of the NAC Orchestra; Bostonian Executive Suites, title sponsor of the Bostonian Bravo Series, now celebrating their 10^th season with the NAC Orchestra; and TD Bank Group, title sponsor of the TD Bank Group Family Adventures Series.

The NAC’s Music Education programs are made possible with support from the National Youth and Education Trust – now celebrating its tenth anniversary – which is generously funded by Founding Partner TELUS, Sun Life Financial, Michael Potter, supporters and patrons of the annual NAC Gala, and the donors of the NAC Foundation’s Corporate Club and Donor’s Circle. Visit www.NACFoundation.ca.

A special thank you to our Media Partners: The Ottawa Citizen; CBC Radio 2, Russian Festival Partner; CTV, title sponsor of the CTV Pops Series; and RogersTV, sponsor of the NACOtron for the TD Bank Group Family Adventures Series.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE

Subscribers enjoy exclusive benefits, including the best seats in the house, the best prices, and free ticket exchanges. Contact our Box Office:

• By phone: call 613-947-7000 x620 or 1-866-850-ARTS x620
• In person: visit the Box Office in the NAC lobby, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
• Online: www.nac-cna.ca/subscribe

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

Photos for all 2011-2012 NAC Orchestra events can be viewed and downloaded at: http://www.nac-cna.ca/en/naco/media/

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Information:   
gmorris@nac-cna.ca" href="mailto:Gerald%20Morris,%20Marketing%20and%20Media%20Relations,%20NAC%20Dance%20Programming(613)%20947-7000,%20ext.%20249%5be-mail%5d%20%20gmorris@nac-cna.ca">Gerald Morris
gmorris@nac-cna.ca" href="mailto:Gerald%20Morris,%20Marketing%20and%20Media%20Relations,%20NAC%20Dance%20Programming(613)%20947-7000,%20ext.%20249%5be-mail%5d%20%20gmorris@nac-cna.ca">Communications Officer, NAC Music
gmorris@nac-cna.ca" href="mailto:Gerald%20Morris,%20Marketing%20and%20Media%20Relations,%20NAC%20Dance%20Programming(613)%20947-7000,%20ext.%20249%5be-mail%5d%20%20gmorris@nac-cna.ca">613-947-7000, ext. 335
gmorris@nac-cna.ca" href="mailto:Gerald%20Morris,%20Marketing%20and%20Media%20Relations,%20NAC%20Dance%20Programming(613)%20947-7000,%20ext.%20249%5be-mail%5d%20%20gmorris@nac-cna.ca">[e-mail]  gmorris@nac-cna.ca