Student Matinee : Ehnes, Tovey, Tchaikovsky | Mar 20, 2019

National Arts Centre - Centre national des Arts Canada is our stage. Le Canada en scène.

Mar 20, 2019

Southam Hall 1 Elgin Street Ottawa Canada

James Ehnes and the NAC Orchestra © Fred Cattroll

Music Classical music Violin

Approx. 1 hour and 15 minutes

Performance options	Start time	Language	Availability
Wednesday, March 20, 2019	10:00 am	bilingual	Seats available

““Whether Ehnes was attacking a fearsome passage of double-stop chords with his signature elegance or deftly sprinkling a torrent of precisely placed pizzicati, it was like watching a veteran climber scaling a particularly brutal mountain face sans ropes.”
Memeteria

The world premiere of the NAC commissioned Violin Concerto by Bramwell Tovey for James Ehnes has been postponed to a future season.

Audiences are in for a rousing evening with Bramwell Tovey, conductor and prolific composer with a body of work spanning more than forty years. The charismatic Tovey, known for his easy connections with audiences and musicians alike, will conduct Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3 and the popular Sibelius Violin Concerto with Canadian superstar and NAC favourite, James Ehnes.

Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his 3rd Symphony in the summer 1875 while vacationing in the country, just before composing his brilliant ballet Swan Lake. Light and uncomplicated, with an overall tone of exuberant optimism, this symphony marks a dividing line in the composer’s personal life. Though he battled depression and suffered many personal losses throughout his life, in the period between his 3rd and 4th symphonies Tchaikovsky experienced increased nervous and psychological strain, with the demise of his marriage and his conflicted feelings about his own sexuality. Tchaikovsky viewed his 3rd symphony as a “step forward” in terms of craftsmanship. It is a feast for the ears, awash with emotion and brilliant orchestration.

Known for his piercing clarity, and warm, expressive tone, James Ehnes is a preeminent violinist of his generation and Winner of nine JUNOs and a GRAMMY award. Audiences are in for a real treat when he performs the Sibelius Concerto with Bramwell Tovey. Ehnes and Tovey have fostered a mutual admiration through previous collaborations and have developed a life-long friendship that is evident when they perform on-stage together.

"[Ehnes'] artistry is always put at the service of the composer and his music... the performances are first class." Classical FM

This event has passed

This event ended on: Mar 21, 2019

Adults & chaperones

1 Free adult per 15 students

Free admittance for special needs assistants

$ (HST included) for additional chaperons At the discretion of the National Arts Centre

Payment deadlines

3 weeks before the performance

Full payment is required by the payment deadline. The NAC reserves the right to cancel any orders submitted but not paid for by the payment deadline.

Seating

There are no reserved seats for NAC student matinee performances.

Instead of tickets you will receive a letter of admission and groups will be seated on a first-come, first-served basis at the performance.

The letter of admission will be issued upon receipt of full payment.

If you have any questions, please contact us at education@nac-cna.ca

Artists

conductor Bramwell Tovey

conductor Bramwell Tovey

Close
violin James Ehnes
violin James Ehnes

James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most sought-after musicians on the international stage. Gifted with a rare combination of stunning virtuosity, serene lyricism, and an unfaltering musicality, Ehnes is a favourite guest at the world’s most celebrated concert halls.

Recent orchestral highlights include the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic. Throughout the 2023–2024 season, Ehnes continues as Artist in Residence with the NAC Orchestra and as Artistic Partner with Artis–Naples.

Alongside his concerto work, Ehnes maintains a busy recital schedule. He performs regularly at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Verbier Festival, and Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence. A devoted chamber musician, he is the leader of the Ehnes Quartet and the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Ehnes has an extensive discography and has won many awards for his recordings, including two Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and 11 Juno Awards. In June 2020 Ehnes launched a new online recital series entitled “Recitals from Home” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent closure of concert halls. These recordings have been met with great critical acclaim by audiences worldwide and Ehnes was described by Le Devoir as being “at the absolute forefront of the streaming evolution.”

Ehnes studied with Sally Thomas at the Meadowmount School of Music and The Juilliard School, winning the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music upon his graduation in 1997. He is a Member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he is a Visiting Professor.

Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.

James Ehnes est un des musiciens les plus demandés au monde. Possédant une rare combinaison de virtuosité époustouflante, de lyrisme serein et de musicalité à toute épreuve, James Ehnes apparait régulièrement dans les plus grandes salles de concert du monde.

Parmi ses collaborations notoires récentes, on peut citer : l’Orchestre métropolitain au Carnegie Hall, l’Orchestre du Gewandhaus de Leipzig, l’Orchestre symphonique de San Francisco, l’Orchestre symphonique de Londres, l’Orchestre symphonique de la NHK, et l’Orchestre philharmonique de Munich. Durant la saison 2023-2024, James Ehnes poursuit sa résidence artistique avec l’Orchestre du CNA et son partenariat artistique avec le centre Artis-Naples.

En plus de ses concertos, il jongle avec un programme chargé de récitals. Il donne régulièrement des concerts au Wigmore Hall, au Carnegie Hall, au Concertgebouw d’Amsterdam, au Verbier Festival et au Festival de Pâques, à Aix-en-Provence. Chambriste passionné, il œuvre comme violon solo du Quatuor Ehnes et directeur artistique de la Seattle Chamber Music Society.

James Ehnes a remporté de nombreux prix pour sa riche discographie, dont deux prix Grammy, trois prix Gramophone et onze prix Juno. En juin 2020, il lance une nouvelle série de récitals en ligne, « Recitals from Home », pour pallier la fermeture des salles de spectacle pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Ces enregistrements sont acclamés par la critique et le public du monde entier; Le Devoir qualifiant même cette initiative de « symbole absolu de cette évolution [vers la diffusion en continu] ».

Il a étudié auprès de Sally Thomas à la Meadowmount School of Music et à l’école Juilliard, dont il sort en 1997 avec le prix Peter-Mennin en reconnaissance de ses réalisations exceptionnelles et de son leadership en musique. Décoré de l’Ordre du Canada et de l’Ordre du Manitoba, il est membre de la Société royale du Canada et membre honoraire de la Royal Academy of Music, à Londres, où il est professeur invité.

James Ehnes joue sur un Stradivarius « Marsick » de 1715.
NAC media featuring James Ehnes
- Videos
- Stories
Close

Join our email list for the latest updates!

Support Performing Arts Learning and Engagement!

Your donations through the NAC's National Youth and Education Trust help the NAC provide learning and engagement opportunities for all — from young children in the classroom, to artists, to the lifelong learner.

Support the Program

Learning and engagement at Canada’s National Arts Centre is made possible through the support of many generous individuals and organizations from across the country. Arts Alive is generously supported by the Azrieli Foundation, the Government of Nunavut, Canadian North, Calm Air, The River Philip Foundation, The Turnbull Family Community Building Foundation, and The Thomas Sill Foundation. Thank you also to Grant and Alice Burton, Canada Life, A Donor-Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Ottawa, Friends of the NAC Orchestra, Donors to the NAC Foundation's Future Fund, The Janice and Earle O’Born Fund for Artistic Excellence, and the donors and sponsors of the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust, the primary resource for youth and education funding at the National Arts Centre.

Was this information helpful?