with NAC Orchestra Ensembles
Invite NAC Orchestra musicians along with professionals from the community into your classroom or auditorium for an exciting and entertaining instrumental concert that is sure to create a buzz among your students! Learn about the string, wind, brass, and percussion sections of the NAC Orchestra and ask the musicians about their experience being part of a professional orchestra. Each ensemble performance also includes interactive elements, allowing you and your students to be directly involved in the learning process.
The Silflay String Quartet will explore how composers in different styles of music use various forms of imitation. Through interactive games with the audience, the members of the quartet will uncover the most widely-used elements from Telemann to Beethoven, from Blues to well-known music that the students will have fun recognizing. The focus of this show is audience participation, and the musical games support a heightened state of listening.
Drums, cymbals, timpani, marimbas, xylophones, and an inexhaustible supply of “toys” – these are all part of the percussion section of the orchestra. From J.S. Bach to rock, let Bangers & Smash show you all the sounds and colours percussion instruments can produce!
Join three prominent members of the brass family on exciting and inspirational musical journey through time. This uplifting adventure which features Beethoven’s famous Ode to Joy, Mozart’s delightful Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and the energetic La Cucaracha will keep you singing long after the concert!
From traditional classics to well-loved movie themes, the Brass Quintet will demonstrate the highest technical and musical demands made on today’s brass players! Offenbach’s high-spirited Can Can and John Williams’ triumphant Star Wars theme are among the brilliant works that you’ll hear from the brass section of the NAC Orchestra. The performance is certain to be a magnificent feast for the ears!
Come snap your fingers and tap your toes to the swinging beats of Bel Canto's Rhythm and Dance program! We have an exciting mix of dance music to play for you, from Carmen's Habanera to the Nutcracker's Waltz of the Flowers and much more in between. Bel Canto is a group of five wind musicians with Andrew Harris on drums. Students of every age will learn how rhythm is integrated into life: from our own heartbeats, to how we talk, to how we dance and much more! Audience participation adds to the fun of every performance.
Animals of every stripe and colour will entertain you when the Ayorama Wind Quintet visits your school! Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf and Mussorgsky’s Ballet of the Chickens in their Shells are among the musical works that will come to life in our musical zoo. Also explore the fascinating story of How Tiger Made Spider Build a Web with narrator Julia MacLaine, a piece by Canadian composer and former NAC Orchestra musician Stewart Grant that was composed especially for the Ayorama Wind Quintet. Audience laughter is an important ingredient in every performance.