On Monday May 16, the 2011 NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition Finals were held in the NAC Studio. Winners were announced and presented with cheques and certificates before an enthusiastic audience of over 100 people.

National Capital Region music students (aged 16 to 24) who are studying for careers as orchestral musicians competed for prizes totaling $18,750. Eight finalists were selected from the 30 applicants who had auditioned before a jury of NAC Orchestra musicians and guest members on May 11 and 12, 2011.

Here is a complete list of the NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition winners: 

• 2011 NAC Orchestra Bursary ($7,000) – Shasta Ellenbogen, viola (age 22)
• Harold Crabtree Foundation Award ($5,000) – Paul Casey, viola (age 24)
• Friends of the NAC Orchestra Award ($3,000) – Christian Paquette (age 21)
• The NAC Orchestra Vic Pomer Award ($2,000) - Darren Hicks, bassoon (age 20)
• The Piccolo Prix ($1,000) – Riccardo Nazario del Castello, trombone (age 20)
• The NAC Orchestra Special Prize for the best performance of prescribed orchestral excerpts ($750) - Darren Hicks, bassoon (age 20)
• Honourable mentions ($225 each) went to Jonah Poplove, viola (age 18), Lara Deutsch, flute (age 20), and Nicholas Galuban, clarinet (age 17)

The Bursary Committee and Jury were chaired for the first year by Roderick Bell, passionate music lover, former Canadian Ambassador to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and an active volunteer at the National Arts Centre.

The NAC Orchestra Bursary was established in 1979 to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the founding of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and to thank the people of the National Capital Region for their support during the Orchestra’s first decade. The first competition took place in 1981.

Eligible applicants are music students aged 16 to 24 who are following a recognized course of music study in preparation for careers as professional orchestral musicians. They must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada. Their family or principal residence must be in the National Capital Region (NCR), or their principal residence must have been in the NCR for one year immediately prior to applying, or they must have been studying under a recognized orchestral instrument teacher in one of the music schools of the NCR over that year.

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