Howard Shore’s Music of Middle-earth

In The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring In Concert at the National Arts Centre, the NAC Orchestra will be conducted by Erik Ochsner; Laurence Ewashko directs the 130-voice Lord of the Rings Chorus, and soloists include soprano Nancy Allen Lundy and boy soprano Matthew…

Approaching Middle-earth

Only a week before the spectacular showing of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring In Concert! The NAC Orchestra will be conducted by Erik Ochsner; Laurence Ewashko directs the 130-voice Lord of the Rings Chorus, and soloists include soprano Nancy Allen Lundy and boy soprano…

Getting to know you - an interview with Dina Gilbert, SMI Conductors...

AW: A little about you: where are you from, and where is home right now? DG: I grew up in Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, a little town about an hour from Québec City. My parents weren’t musicians, but they loved music, and my five sisters and I all took piano and singing lessons from a very…

Getting to know you - an interview with Kate Marland, SMI Pre-College...

Kate Marland began studying violin with Leslie Wade at the age of four and now studies viola with Rennie Regehr at the University of Ottawa. Encouraged by many wonderful summers spent at chamber music programs such as Music at Port Milford and the Tuckamore Festival, and three years as a…

First open rehearsal on CD 318 with pianist Jan Lisiecki

Acrobatics of the body, mind and soul

Getting to Know You:  An Interview with Anna Pidgorna

Anna Pidgorna, one of five Composer Fellows at the 2012 Summer Music Institute (SMI) was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Canada with her family at the age of twelve.  After studying at Simon Fraser University(SFU) in Vancouver, BC, Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and the…

Saying Goodbye to King Lear: the dream is over but the memories...

As the production of King Lear came to a close, Jani Lauzon, who played both Cordelia and the Fool, wrote a blog about the experience that took place in bringing King Lear to the NAC Theatre. She wrote about the being part of the production, sharing with members of the NAC English Theatre…

Getting to know you – an interview with Anita Pari, Pre-College Piano

Born in San Diego, raised in Ottawa, and soon to begin a Bachelor of Music at the Frost School of Music in Miami with internationally renowned Cuban-American pianist Santiago Rodriguez, 14-year-old Anita Pari's dream of a life in music is becoming reality. A winner in international and…

Getting to Know You: an interview with Summer Music Institute Violist, John...

We've survived week one of the Summer Music Institute!  I had a chance to quickly catch up with one of our students, Violist, John Kastelic. John received a B.Mus degree in composition and music scholarship at UBC, studying viola with David Harding. As a violist and violinist, he plays a…

What does CD 318 stand for?

Earlier this month, we blogged about how excited the NAC was about our newest archival acquisition, Glenn Gould’s infamous Steinway piano CD 318.  Right now, the NAC is in the process of putting the final touches on a permanent exhibit that will showcase the acquisition on the NAC’s…

What’s new at ‘the Knack’?

My colleague Martin has worked at the NAC for over nine years. Throughout his career here Martin’s dad has taken great joy needling him by mispronouncing the abbreviation NAC. He jokingly refers to Martin's workplace as—the knack. “What's going on at the knack?” he will ask at family…

Anticipating the Unknown

  To me dance is communication without words. However, I don't attend a performance expecting to understand everything. In fact, I rarely read the program notes prior to a dance show. Instead, I prefer to settle into my seat with an open mind enjoying the anticipation of the…

Glenn Gould’s beloved piano CD 318 arrives at the NAC

Stored in the archives of the National Arts Centre (NAC) since Christmas, Glenn Gould’s beloved piano, Steinway CD 318 will soon be unveiled to the public. The piano will be installed in a permanent location on the Mezzanine level outside of Southam Hall with an exhibition about Gould’s…

Celebrate Canada’s best performing artists during bravo’s one hour television special

The National Arts Centre (NAC) is pleased to announce that bravo will be broadcasting a one hour documentary special on the 20th Anniversary of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards on Friday June 1, 2012 at 10:00 p.m. ET, Saturday June 2, 2012 at 3:00 a.m. ET and on Sunday June 3,…