Canada’s NAC Orchestra, under the baton of the renowned Pinchas Zukerman and with the support of Honorary Patron Richard Li, launches China Tour on October 6 in concert with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta

Ottawa (Canada)— Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, led by renowned Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, will perform a joint concert with the internationally acclaimed Hong Kong Sinfonietta at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Kowloon on October 6, 2013. Musicians of the NAC Orchestra will also lead education and outreach activities with local students during their stay in Hong Kong.

As part of the NAC’s commitment to Canadian creative artists, the tour will showcase Chinese-Canadian composer Alexina Louie’s Bringing the Tiger Down from the Mountain II – a work that features the distinctive, warm sound of the cello as played by the NAC Orchestra’s acclaimed Principal Cellist Amanda Forsyth. The NAC Orchestra will also combine forces with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta to perform Tchaikovsky’s striking and spiritual Symphony No. 5, and Mozart’s Concerto No. 3, featuring the NAC Orchestra’s Music Director Pinchas Zukerman as violin soloist. More than 130 musicians will be together on stage, creating a powerful symbol of two cultures unified through art.

On Saturday October 5, two NAC Orchestra quintets will perform at Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School, a school in the New Territories operated by the Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society. Here the children will play Chinese instruments as a way of relating to and communicating with the NAC Orchestra musicians who will be performing on Western instruments. On the same day, the NAC Principal Wind Quintet will perform at the Canadian International School. During their time in Hong Kong, NAC Orchestra musicians will also offer masterclasses to students at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and perform for students at St Mary’s Canossian School.

These events are part of the NAC Orchestra’s first-ever tour of Greater China in its 44-year history. From October 4 to 21, 70 musicians from the Orchestra will travel to schools and concert halls in Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Fuling, Tianjin, and Shanghai. With the support of Honorary Patron Richard Li and Presenting Partner Aimia, the NAC Orchestra will perform eight major concerts and participate in more than 80 education and outreach activities, including two international broadband videoconference events linking young musicians in Canada and China.

ConneXXions 2013: VIDEOLINK CONNECTS OTTAWA AND BEIJING MUSIC STUDENTS
In partnership with the China’s Central Conservatory of Music, the NAC Orchestra’s China Tour will include a high-definition videoconference event linking the NAC in Ottawa and – for the first time – the NCPA in Beijing.  This event will feature Mark Rowswell, a.k.a “Dashan” the most famous Canadian and media personality in China; Yu Hong Mei, one of the most accomplished erhu players in China; Mrs. Laureen Harper, wife of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcoming students in Ottawa and Beijing; Ottawa’s Stellae Boreales Violin Ensemble; as well as young musicians from the Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

CANADA’S NATIONAL ORCHESTRA ON TOUR
Touring is a natural extension of the NAC Orchestra’s role as a national, international and teaching ensemble. In February 2012, during Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to China, Canada and China made a commitment to strengthen their relationship, including holding cultural events in both countries in 2013–2014. The tour coincides with the annual general meeting of the Canada China Business Council in Beijing with a major concert on October 17, 2013 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts.

“Congratulations to our talented Canadian composers and musicians, and to everyone involved with the tour,” said the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. “We applaud the cooperation between Canada’s National Arts Centre and China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. This tour is another powerful expression of the strong artistic ties between our two countries.”

“The most important thing we can do in any relationship with any country is bring them what we do best,” said Maestro Zukerman. “In my case I know how to play the fiddle and make music. So I bring that to (China) with an open heart and an abundance of feeling.”

“All Canadians should feel proud about this tour,” said Peter Herrndorf, CEO of the National Arts Centre. “The NAC Orchestra’s China Tour belongs to them. It showcases their musicians and their composers, reaching out and building long-term friendships with the people of Hong Kong and the rest of Mainland China. It’s a musical ‘Team Canada’!”

“At Aimia, we take great pride in celebrating Canadian achievements on the world stage,” said Rupert Duchesne, CEO of the China Tour’s Presenting Partner Aimia. “As a global leader in loyalty, we understand the commitment, focus and determination that it takes to achieve excellence. That is why we are so proud to be partnering with the National Arts Centre Orchestra to share outstanding performances and musical education with the world. The National Arts Centre Orchestra tour of China is an exciting opportunity for our two countries to share and promote a passion for the arts. We believe in the power of the arts to open doors and inspire an exchange of culture and ideas that will strengthen the relationship between two great countries.”

This tour is the product of a long-term relationship between Canada’s NAC and China’s NCPA, with both national organizations committed to cultural exchange and collaboration; the NAC is delighted to host the NCPA Orchestra for a concert in the fall of 2014. Discussions are also underway for creative and educational collaborations in future years. “We see the arts and culture as another important way to express and represent our country on the world stage. Through this agreement, the NCPA and the NAC are strengthening relations between China and Canada,” said NCPA President Chen Ping.

Xiaoxue ‘Sunny’ She, a 28-year-old violinist from Shenyang, China, and Shuai Shi, a 24-year-old violinist from Shanghai will join the tour as a members of the NAC Orchestra. They are both apprentices in the NAC Orchestra’s 2013-2014 Institute for Orchestral Studies. They will perform in the Orchestra for concerts and for performances of chamber music during the tour. Ms. Shi, the featured young artist during the NAC’s annual Gala in 2012, will be assisting Maestro Zukerman for his masterclasses in Beijing and Shanghai. 

FOLLOW THE TOUR
The NAC is a leader in new media outreach in the arts and has created a website at nacotour.ca where people around the world can follow this extraordinary music tour. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Sina Weibo #nacochina. Daily reports will be posted throughout the tour at these sites.

PARTNERS IN MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND EDUCATION
An international tour of this magnitude would not be possible without the generous support of individuals and corporations from across Canada. The National Arts Centre and National Arts Centre Foundation gratefully acknowledge the tremendous support of Presenting Partner Aimia, Major Partners CN, Enbridge Inc., Plasco Energy Group, Power Corporation of Canada, James and Emily Ho, and Education Partner RBC Capital Markets. Thank you also to Supporting Partners Cameco, Export Development Canada, Husky Energy, Hotel Partner Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts, Travel Partner Air Canada and Friends Magna International Inc. The Media Partners are the Chinese Canadian Times and Chinese News Service. For his commitment to the performing arts in both Canada and China, the National Arts Centre extends a warm thank you to Richard Li, Honorary Patron of the China Tour. The National Arts Centre would like to thank the Government of Canada for its support of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Performance and Education Tour of China.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE and the NAC ORCHESTRA
The National Arts Centre believes in nation building through the performing arts, by providing a home for Canada’s most creative artists, by being artistically adventurous, and by being a catalyst for performance, creation and learning in every part of the country and around the world. The NAC is Canada’s only bilingual multi-disciplinary performing arts centre and one of the largest in the world.

Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (founded 1969), under the direction of renowned conductor/violinist/violist Pinchas Zukerman, gives over 100 performances a year in Ottawa, tours both nationally and internationally, has recorded 40 CDs, and commissions Canadian works (over 90 to date). In 1999 Pinchas Zukerman initiated the NAC Young Artists Program, which is now part of the NAC Summer Music Institute (SMI). Pinchas Zukerman also teaches students all over the world via long-distance broadband videoconferencing.

ABOUT PRESENTING PARTNER AIMIA
Aimia is a global leader in loyalty management. Aimia’s unique capabilities include proven expertise in delivering proprietary loyalty services, launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, creating value through loyalty analytics, and driving innovation in the emerging digital and mobile spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada’s premier coalition loyalty program and Nectar, the United Kingdom’s largest coalition loyalty program. In addition, Aimia has majority equity positions in Air Miles Middle East and Nectar Italia as well as a minority position in Club Premier, Mexico’s leading coalition loyalty program and Cardlytics, a U.S.-based private company operating in transaction-driven marketing for electronic banking.

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For more information please contact:

TRAVELLING WITH THE NAC ORCHESTRA IN CHINA:

Rosemary Thompson
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
National Arts Centre
Cell : (613) 762-4118
Rosemary.Thompson@nac-cna.ca


Annie Jin
Publicist, NAC Orchestra China Tour
National Arts Centre
Cell : (613) 979 5823
ajin@nac-cna.ca


IN OTTAWA, CANADA:  Carl Martin, Communications Advisor, National Arts Centre, (613) 947-7000, ext. 560, Cell: (613) 291-8880, Carl.Martin@nac-cna.ca

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