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Orchestra shell assembly and installation timelapse
January 17, 2019This time-lapse highlights the complex assembly and installation of the Southam Hall orchestra shell. It is, without a doubt, the shining star of the National Arts Centre’s Production Renewal Project. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, Fisher Dachs Associates, Threshhold Acoustics and…
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NAC Presents Sessions: An opportunity like no other for Canadian artists and...
January 11, 2019Lynn Miles felt it the moment she walked on stage at Southam Hall for the first time in her career. The JUNO award-winning singer/songwriter was there to rehearse her songs and new orchestral arrangements with the NAC Orchestra. “I felt so supported and comfortable,” Lynn shares. “The…
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The Short, Extraordinary Life of a Rehearsal
December 12, 2018Attending intermission chats and open rehearsals are one of the many benefits donors receive when they support performance, creation and learning across Canada through the National Arts Centre Foundation. In a long awaited return to the Southam Hall stage, Amanda Forsyth, former principal…
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Ushering in a fresh, new look
November 13, 2018New public spaces, new orchestra shell, new NAC logo, new CEO. No question there’s been a lot of renewal going on at the NAC over the last few years. Now another familiar NAC element has a fresh, new look: the usher uniform. There had been five NAC uniforms between 1969 and 2018, the…
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National Creation Fund: An Even Better Hockey Sweater
November 13, 2018In the fall of 2017, the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts in Montreal premiered The Hockey Sweater, a musical based on the iconic story by Roch Carrier. Featuring a cast of 17, the show was a hit with audiences and critics. But the creators believed it could be even better. “If the show…
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’Tis the Season for NAC Parties
November 13, 2018The holidays are upon us. Conveniently, for those looking for a festive party venue, all of the NAC’s spaces are open, including the elegant O’Born Room with its stunning (wintry) views of downtown Ottawa. And after Santa has come and gone, there’ll be New Year’s Eve. Last year, more than…
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Q&A: Ian Cusson, Métis composer
November 13, 2018Q. In 2017 you were selected for Carrefour, a two-year residency program by the NAC and Canada Council for the Arts to mentor diverse, emerging composers. At 37, would you say you’re a late bloomer? A. Great question! Although I’ve been writing music for a long time, I came to the…
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After Ypres: The Music of Two Nations Soars
November 9, 2018“We were eighteen and had begun to love life and the world; and we had to shoot it to pieces. The first bomb, the first explosion, burst in our hearts.” ― Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front This November, the National Arts Centre will host two very special concerts in…
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Finding the Voice in Silence
November 6, 2018On Thursday, October 18, playwright Trina Davies described to NAC Foundation supporters how she created Silence from a host of voices from the past and present. Fittingly, it all started with a phone call. Well, that, and a talking dog. In 2006, the highly respected dramaturge Iris Turcott…
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Following The Flow: Violonist Frédéric Moisan
October 29, 2018Frédéric Moisan is a violonist in the NAC Orchestra. One of Frédéric off stage passion is fly fishing. He loves the environment, the river, the nature, the wild and being alone. He particulaly likes that it is not something you need to share or go with a friend. Frédéric shares how fly…
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who we are in the dark
October 2, 2018It began with an unexpected collaboration between two diverse artists. For most of her career as a Canadian dance artist, Peggy Baker had worked mainly with classical musicians. For her latest piece Peggy wanted to collaborate with a woman from the rock-and-roll world. “I wrangled an…
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Message from the National Arts Centre Foundation CEO - October 2018
October 2, 2018A new season of music, theatre and dance is always a reason for celebration. And this September we have another cause for celebration as we look ahead to 2019 and the 50th anniversary of our beloved National Arts Centre. We will have many exciting events to mark this milestone year, which…
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Apprenticeship gives university students a real-life orchestral experience
October 2, 2018It was an opportunity University of Ottawa (uOttawa) student Shang Jung (Kitty) Chan couldn’t pass up. This was her chance to spend three weeks apprenticing with the NAC Orchestra. “I’ve always looked up to the musicians in the NAC Orchestra,” says Kitty. “Being able to rehearse with…
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Production renewal takes sight and sound at the NAC to a whole...
October 2, 2018For 14 weeks this past summer the performance spaces at the NAC appeared to be dark and quiet. After all, there were no performances to grace our stages. But appearances can be deceiving. Beginning in 2016, a lot has been going on behind-the-scenes. Thanks to a $114.9 million investment…
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Moving Stories gives students the chance to express themselves in a powerful...
October 2, 2018The student was understandably uncomfortable. Before enrolling in a dance class at his high school, he had never danced before. “He was more prepared than he thought. He shone in the show,” says NAC Dance Associate Education and Teaching Artist Siôned Watkins. “That’s part of what Moving…
