The NAC Orchestra: Sharing Stories

When live performing arts was suspended in March 2020, the NAC Orchestra continued to seek new ways to engage with communities from across Canada, collaborate with diverse, Canadian artists, and to tell the breadth of stories of our country and our world. 

Thanks to your generous support, the NAC Orchestra has produced incredible work over the last two-plus years. NACO Live presented regular livestreamed concerts from Southam Hall which featured audience favourites and new works by diverse and exciting composers. The series proudly showcased the next generation of Canadian performers by spotlighting soloists drawn from CBC Music’s annual classical “30 under 30” list. 

A ground-breaking project, UNDISRUPTED, saw four Canadian visionaries anchor their stories in a unique orchestral experience. Soprano Measha Brueggergosman, singer-songwriter Shawnee Kish and composers Nicole Lizée and Ana Sokoloviċ each brought their visions to life, aided by Music Director Alexander Shelley and the NAC Orchestra, Creative Producer Donna Feore, and Montreal’s Normal Studio. The result is four powerful 30-minute episodes available to stream on CBC Gem and ICI TOU.TV. 

Alexander shares, “As we look to the future, we are looking to engage with, tell, find, and be told the stories of our time and to be a tool for telling that story through community with our audiences. We want to find collaborators and open ourselves up to collaborations across genres, across demographics, across generations so that we can speak with as much authenticity to the—if possible—entire Canadian experience which then of course, encapsulates hopefully the entire human experience.” 

With your contributions, the NAC Orchestra collaborates with performing artists from diverse backgrounds to tell the stories of our time so that together, we can explore our shared humanity. 

Stay tuned on May 17 for the NAC’s 2022–2023 season announcement to learn what new stories will be told on Canada’s stage, thanks to your support.