NAC Podcasts

Eric Friesen Presents the NAC Orchestra

How did the National Art Centre Orchestra become the world class organization it is today? In this podcast series, veteran broadcaster and writer Eric Friesen chronicles the unfolding drama ofthe NAC Orchestra from its earliest days in 1969 to the present time. With his charming personality and a host of probing questions, he interviews conductors, orchestral musicians, guest artists and administrators about the Orchestra’s beginnings, the challenges it faced, the tours it made all over Canada and to many foreign lands, and the kind of individuals it took to mold the Orchestra into what it is today.

Latest Episodes

  • The Pinnock Years and a Memorable Principal Guest Conductor

    Jul 03, 2009 57:02

    Through much of the 1990’s, the NAC Orchestra was led by the baroque and classical specialist from England, Trevor Pinnock. This was a time of continued financial challenges for...

  • The Eighties: Mannino and Chmura

    Jul 02, 2009 57:37

    After 13 years under Bernardi, the NAC Orchestra’s new leader was another Italian: Franco Mannino. Where Bernardi had been all northern Italy - cold blue light, Mannino was all...

  • An Orchestra is born: The Bernardi Years

    Jul 01, 2009 1:00:01

    The National Arts Centre Orchestra was born in the cultural euphoria of the 1960’s, an off shoot of a bold Centennial Year project for our nation’s capital. Not only...