Building community through music: 2011 National Arts Centre Orchestra Atlantic Canada Tour celebrates New Brunswick from Nov. 20 to 25

November 18, 2011

OTTAWA—Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra will celebrate New Brunswick as part of its dynamic performance and education tour of Atlantic Canada. Highlights of this portion of the tour include concerts in Moncton, (Nov. 20), Fredericton (Nov. 22) and Saint John (Nov. 23), as well as two “Let’s go Mozart!” bilingual student matinees in Moncton (Nov. 22) and CFB Gagetown in honour of the Canadian military and their families (Nov. 24).

The tour will shine the spotlight on many Canadian artists, including outstanding conductor Julian Kuerti, 16-year-old piano phenomenon Jan Lisiecki, Alberta-based composer John Estacio, Acadian fiddler Samantha Robichaud, and some of our country’s best classical musicians.

Media are invited to cover the three New Brunswick concerts and attend some of the dozens of educational activities that will be taking place from November 21 to 25.

New Brunswick will be the culmination of a 12-day tour of all four Atlantic provinces that starts on November 13 in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the travels to Charlottetown, PEI, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The New Brunswick leg of the tour begins at Moncton’s historic Capitol Theatre with a program that includes the NAC Orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Kuerti, performing Antinomie by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu. NAC Orchestra Principal Flute Joanna G’froerer, will also be featured as part of the NAC Orchestra’s performance of Mozart’s Flute Concerto no. 1 in G major.

In Fredericton and Saint John, the NAC Orchestra, again under the baton of Mr. Kuerti, will perform Brio: Toccata and Fantasy for Orchestra, a new work in memory of Malcolm Forsyth composed especially for the tour by Mr. Estacio, winner of the National Arts Centre Award for Canadian composers. Mr. Lisiecki will then take to the stage to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 20, The Orchestra will also perform Symphony no. 1 by Brahms, with apprentices of the NAC’s Institute for Orchestral Studies.

Music education activities include the following:

The November 21 and 22 mini teaching and performance tour by Acadian fiddler Samantha Robichaud, NAC Orchestra Assistant Double Bass Marjolaine Fournier and the Brass Trio of the NAC Orchestra,of Francophone schools in Lagaceville, Neguac, Saint-Louis-de-Kent, Bouctouche, Shediac and Dieppe.

On Monday November 21 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., there will be a wind trio performance by NAC Orchestra musicians Chip Hamann, Christopher Millard and Kimball Sykes, at Kenneth E. Spencer Nursing Home at 35 Atlantic Baptist Ave in Moncton.

Also on November 21, from 3:15 p.m. to 5 pm. at Queen Elizabeth School, 31 Lynch Street in Moncton, a NACO String Quartet will perform with the apprentices of the NAC’s Institute for Orchestral Studies, who will perform for and with Sistema New Brunswick. This is a wonderful program that provides after-school orchestral music lessons to underprivileged children and that is based on the belief that music helps create better communities.

On Tuesday November 22 at 4 p.m., pianist Jan Lisiecki will take part in a musical chat in Fredericton at the University of New Brunswick Conservatory’s Memorial Hall.

On Wednesday, November 23 from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m., the Brass Trio of the NAC Orchestra will perform for young students at Saint John the Baptist-King Edward Elementary School, located at 223 St. James Street in Saint John.

Starting at 7 p.m. on November 25 at the Brunswick Street Baptist Church, there will be sectional rehearsals with the award-winning New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, led by NAC Orchestra musicians and apprentices of the NAC’s Institute for Orchestral Studies, who will perform for and with Sistema New Brunswick.

To book interviews or to get more information about these events, media are encouraged to contact the contacts below. More detailed Atlantic Canada Tour information and artist biographies is also available at www.nacotour.ca.

MUSIC EDUCATION

Music education is a major element of this East coast tour. About 10,000 Atlantic Canadians will have an opportunity to see, work or perform with some of the region’s most promising young musicians in 80 music education events, of which more than a third are in New Brunswick.

These activities include workshops, sectional rehearsals, lectures, private coaching, musicians-in-the-schools performances, question-and-answer sessions, broadband masterclasses and more. They will be led by top-level professionals in collaboration with schools, universities, community orchestras, choirs, bands and other local music organizations . These music education activities are designed to inspire young Atlantic Canadian artists and audiences and build on the excellent foundation of the region’s music educators.

The two “Let’s go Mozart!” student matinees in Moncton and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown will feature NAC Orchestra Second Clarinet Sean Rice, actor John Doucet and Ms. Robichaud (The NAC has distributed 3,000 Let’s Go, Mozart! resources for both students and teachers to every elementary school across Atlantic Canada).

The student matinee in CFB Gagetown will be a chance for the NAC Orchestra to offer thanks on behalf of all Canadians to the military and their families for their service to the country. The concert will also shine the spotlight on CFB Gagetown’s 3 Area Support Group Pipes & Drums.

Also during the tour, NAC Orchestra musicians and apprentices of the NAC’s Institute for Orchestral Studies will perform for and with Sistema New Brunswick, a program that provides after-school orchestral music lessons to underprivileged children and that is based on the belief that music helps create better communities. On Nov. 25, NAC Orchestra musicians will lead sectional rehearsals with the award-winning New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, which finished at the top of the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival and Competition in Vienna last summer. NBYO first launched Sistema New Brunswick in 2009. By 2014 it plans to operate four centres in New Brunswick, engaging more than 500 children and multiple orchestras.

Always at the forefront of technology and arts education, the award-winning NAC New Media department will make the NAC Orchestra’s Atlantic Canada Tour accessible to all Canadians, who are invited to follow the tour online at www.nacotour.ca for blogs, videos, podcasts, photos and more. Updates will also be posted on twitter at #CanadasNAC, and on the NAC’s Facebook page.

ABOUT THE NAC ORCHESTRA

Reaching out to Canadian communities through touring is a central pillar of the NAC Orchestra. Over its 41-year history, the Orchestra has performed for audiences in hundreds of venues around the world, including 118 cities and communities in Canada (including Atlantic Canada in 2002), and 122 cities internationally.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The National Arts Centre Foundation gratefully acknowledges support for the Atlantic Canada Tour from Regional Partners CN (Nova Scotia), Suncor Energy (Newfoundland) and Tim Hortons (CFB Gagetown, New Brunswick) and Supporting Partners Diane and Wesley Campbell, Zita Cobb and Ian and Jan Craig. Thank you also to NAC Friends Crosbie Group of Companies, Long & McQuade Musical Instruments, McInnes Cooper, the Gill Radcliffe Foundation and RBC Royal Bank.

The Atlantic Canada Tour is also made possible thanks to the CEO National Fund which supports the NAC’s programs across the country. The NAC Foundation extends a warm thank you to the Atlantic Canada donors to the CEO National Fund; the Craig Foundation, Fred and Elizabeth Fountain, Dale Godsoe, C.M., Frederick and Joanne MacGillivray, Frank and Debbie Sobey as well as NAC Foundation Director Gary Zed who has made a gift in memory Leesha & Amelia Zed.

The Atlantic Canada Tour Travel Partner is Air Canada and the Hotel Partner is Delta Hotels and Resorts. National Media Partners are CBC – Radio Canada and the National Post and the Media Partner is Atlantic Business Magazine.

TICKET INFORMATION

For ticket information to NAC Orchestra concerts in your community, please contact:

Moncton (Nov. 20)

Capitol Theatre

Tel: (506) 856-4379

www.capitol.nb.ca

Fredericton (Nov. 22)

The Playhouse

Tel: (506) 458-8344

boxoffice@theplayhouse.ca

Saint John (Nov. 23)

Imperial Theatre