In the fifth CTV Pops concert of the NAC Orchestra’s 2010-11 season, NAC Principal Pops Conductor Jack Everly leads the National Arts Centre Orchestra and special guest Linda Eder in A Tribute to Judy Garland. This concert takes place in Southam Hall on Thursday May 5, Friday May 6, and Saturday May 7, 2011 at 8 p.m. Be wowed by Judy Garland’s most unforgettable hits as Linda Eder performs some of the most popular musical highlights from Meet Me in St. Louis, Dancing in the Dark, Gigi, Annie Get Your Gun, and, of course, The Wizard of Oz.

The Saturday Night Performance Sponsor is Milestones Grill + Bar.

Judy Garland (1922-1969) was one of the brightest, most tragic movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Era. An incredibly talented MGM child star – known for her warmth and spirit, along with her rich and exuberant voice – she grew up in the public eye, evolving from gawky young girl to a beautiful and supremely talented singer. Miss Garland was incapable of singing a false note; her powerful voice and the emotional truth of her movies, concerts, and recordings won her millions of fans. A tumultuous life offscreen led to extraordinary highs and lows, triumph and tragedy, five marriages and three children, booze, bankruptcy, and pills. She appeared in 32 movies between 1936 and 1963, made dozens of recordings, and also conquered the worlds of live concert performances and television. Nominated twice for Academy Awards (for A Star is Born in 1955 and Judgement at Nuremburg in 1962), she was also nominated numerous times for Emmy and Golden Globe awards, winning a Golden Globe for A Star is Born. A tireless entertainer from childhood to her early death at age 47, she said, “When you have lived the life I’ve lived, when you've loved and suffered, and been madly happy and desperately sad -- well, that’s when you realize you'll never be able to set it all down.”

 Linda Eder is uniquely qualified to bring the Judy Garland Songbook to vibrant life. An award-winning veteran of cabaret, sellout concert performances – performing to what The New York Times described as a “thunderously adoring audience” -- and Broadway (Jekyll & Hyde, Linda Eder at the Gershwin, Linda Eder: The Holiday Concert), song stylist and recording artist Linda Eder has a distinctive 3-octave voice, striking stage presence, and emotional range. Linda Eder launched her recording career in 1991 and soon established a niche as one of America’s most popular and acclaimed new interpreters of pop standards and theatrical songs. Her lengthy discography includes a 2005 recording entitled “By Myself: The Songs of Judy Garland.” Her albums highlight Eder’s abundant vocal gifts as well as her skill for delivering dramatic, emotionally resonant interpretations of familiar songs while making them uniquely her own.

The concert stage remains the mainstay of Eder’s career. She has performed for sold-out crowds and venues across the country and throughout Europe. Her concerts have also been televised on Bravo and PBS. Linda has performed at many prestigious venues, such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Davies Hall, Radio City Music Hall, Wolftrap, and the Ravinia Festival. Always touring in good company, Eder’s collaborators include Oscar-winning composer pianist Marvin Hamlisch, Tony-winner Michael Feinstein and Keith Lockhart, conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Linda Eder regarded Judy Garland – and Barbra Streisand and opera singer Eileen Farrell -- as early role models. Critics nationwide have described Linda’s style as “passionate,” “vibrant” “warm” and “glorious,” while Daily Variety, reviewing a Los Angeles show, called her interpretations “honest and pure… Eder is an artist who possesses the kind of individuality that marks a great, enduring star.” Her voice has been described with equal fervor: The Los Angeles Times wrote “A voice like Linda Eder’s is rare, the sensitivity to use it to its fullest rarer still,” while New York’s Daily News succinctly stated “she’s simply one of the most spellbinding singers of our time.” “I’m not someone who focuses on technique,” Linda comments. “I think only about the emotion of the song and the lyric, the way that it makes me feel, the way that it makes the audience feel. It’s all about communicating emotionally, and if I’m concentrating on the emotion, than my performance can only be honest.”

The NAC Orchestra performs A Tribute to Judy Garland in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Thursday May 5, Friday May 6, and Saturday May 7, 2011 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.45, $31.21, $42.51, $53.81, $64.57, $75.33, and $94.17 for adults and $11.38, $16.76, $22.41, $28.06, $33.44, $38.82, and $48.24 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 1-888-991-2787; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through www.nac-cna.ca.

Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Live Rush™ membership (free registration at www.liverush.ca) may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $12 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

Our latest web offering -- coming soon -- NACmusicbox TIMELINE 200 orchestral works, 80 Canadian compositions, 1 interactive TIMELINE. Explore unlimited music connections and discover Canada's contribution to orchestral history. The interactive TIMELINE includes the addition of 65 Canadian works thanks to financial investment by the Virtual Museum of Canada at the Department of Canadian Heritage. We also acknowledge our partner CBC Radio 2 for providing broadcast-quality recordings of the NAC Orchestra’s archival performances.

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Information:   
Gerald Morris
Communications Officer, NAC Music
613-947-7000, ext. 335
[e-mail]  gmorris@nac-cna.ca