Stories tagged #education | NAC Stories

Reconnecting with the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra

July 17, 2017 - In the spring of 2017 the NAC Orchestra was in residence for two days with 240 students from across New Brunswick as part of their Canada 150 Tour. Alexander Shelley, James Ehnes and members of the NAC Orchestra coached three Sistema ensembles, with a final concert…

Follow the NAC Orchestra on Tour!

April 28, 2017 - As our National Arts Centre Orchestra sets off on the first leg of its cross-Canada performance and education tour, a group of dedicated supporters from across the country is cheering them on from the sidelines. Tour Patrons Gail and David O’Brien, who split their time…

Young Artist Summit for Indigenous Musicians

April 19, 2017 - Part of the National Arts Centre’s Music Alive Program, in partnership with the Canada Council and the East Coast Music Association April 27-30, Saint John, New Brunswick: The Summit will bring together 10 young indigenous artists from all four Atlantic Provinces to…

The Azrieli Foundation Donates $2 Million to the NAC Foundation’s Creation Campaign

February 17, 2017 - The National Arts Centre Foundation is thrilled to announce a $2 million gift from The Azrieli Foundation to support its Creation Campaign. Launched in September 2016, funds raised from the Creation Campaign will support the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund…

The tale of the 386 year-old double bass

December 2, 2016 - The opportunity to attend open rehearsals is one of the many ways the National Arts Centre Foundation thanks its generous and committed donors. Typically the rehearsals involve a unique chance for performing arts lovers to learn about the creation and performance…

NAC Dance outreach gives students an incredible experience

November 21, 2016 - “When you’re sitting in Southam Hall and looking at the artists who breathe life into your soul, you should know you had a hand in bringing those feet up on stage.” Erika Mills, Dance Teacher, École secondaire publique De La Salle It’s a Friday night in April and the…

Q & A: Siôned Watkins – NAC Dance Education Associate and Teaching...

November 15, 2016 - Q. What is dance education about? A. It’s about inspiring and encouraging brain and body development through movement. Q. Your workshops reached more than 1,500 students and teachers last season. What’s excited you the most? A. Last January I organized workshops with…

Music Alive Program teaching artists come together to share, learn, and collaborate

November 9, 2016 - The NAC’s Music Alive Program, which brings local and visiting artists to mostly rural and remote schools and communities, was developed in partnership with local arts organizations and in consultation with school boards. It began in Alberta and Saskatchewan in 2008,…

NAC Unveils $25 Million Fundraising Campaign & $5 Million Gift by Gail Asper

September 28, 2016 - The National Arts Centre (NAC) today launched a transformative $25 million fundraising campaign to support the creation of new works of Music, Theatre and Dance in collaboration with artists and arts organizations across the country. The campaign is the first-ever in the…

A gathering of Artist Leaders in Deaf and disability arts and inclusion

September 1, 2016 - For two and a half days, 13 Artist/Leaders and 12 institutional Respondents gathered at the Stratford Festival to immerse themselves in conversations led by artists from the Deaf and disability arts community, about theatrical performance. "We're building what we hope…

NAC Music Circle Workshop at Woodroffe High School

July 20, 2016 - The NAC’s Music Circle Workshops for children, high school students and adults with special needs are run in partnership with the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and take place in schools and community…

A special reception in celebration of the Young Artist Program

June 22, 2016 - On the evening of June 6th, His Excellency Bruce Heyman, U.S. Ambassador to Canada and wife Vicki Heyman, hosted a special reception in celebration of the 18th edition of the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program (YAP). Since its inception in 1999 the Young…

Janice and Earle O’Born donate $1.5 Million to the National Arts Centre

May 18, 2016 - Inspired by the National Arts Centre’s focus on investing in Canadian creators, Janice and Earle O’Born of Toronto have made an extraordinary gift of $1.5 million in support of the NAC’s future direction. Janice O’Born, who is a Director of the NAC Foundation, said…

The National Arts Centre Orchestra & RBC Royal Bank (RBC)

May 12, 2016 - RBC Royal Bank (RBC) has been a longtime and generous partner of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and its education programming. As a key supporter of the Orchestra’s last three performance and education tours, RBC demonstrated the importance of showcasing some of…

Moh Faris and Family Donate $1 Million to National Arts Centre in...

April 25, 2016 - The National Arts Centre Foundation is honoured to announce a generous gift of $1 million from Mohammed (Moh) Faris and his family in honour of the late Yulanda Faris. Wife of Moh and mother of three daughters, Yulanda – who died at the age of 77 on April 23, 2015 – was…

Gail and David O’Brien donate $1.5 million to the NAC

April 1, 2016 - On March 24, 2016 the National Arts Centre unveiled its Strategic Plan for 2015–2020. Entitled “Canada is our Stage”, the new plan reinforces the NAC’s commitment to champion performance, creation and learning across Canada. The Strategic Plan emphasizes the National…

Q & A: Geneviève Cimon – Director, Music Education and Community Engagement

March 31, 2016 - Q. How has arts education grown and changed since you arrived at the NAC in 2000? A. It’s grown exponentially! In fact it’s now part of our DNA. Our programs now reach many remote regions of the country. We used to offer about a dozen local programs. Now we reach over…

The 2014-2015 Stewardship Report: The Impact of Your Giving

March 29, 2016 - Your support for the National Arts Centre made quite an impact in 2014-2015. Your generosity was felt on Canada’s stage, in classrooms across the country, and in the grateful and uplifted hearts of artists, audience members and students. Here are just some of the ways…

Thank You to Our Generous Donors

March 8, 2016 - On May 19, 2016, Alexander Shelley and the National Arts Centre Orchestra will share the stories of four remarkable Canadian women through music, motion and word, in the world premiere of Life Reflected. This ground-breaking performance is the most ambitious creation…

Sharing the Love of Dance

February 15, 2016 - “This was the most important, creative and bolstering outreach I have had the fortune to organize” These are the words of Sioned Watkins, NAC Dance Education Associate and Teaching Artist, following a week of dance workshops and outreach programs she organized in…

Discovering ballet with the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre

February 1, 2016 - Never stop learning. It’s a phrase that Royal Winnipeg Ballet Outreach Coordinator Jaime Vargas lives by. A former principal dancer with the company, Jaime now channels his passion for dance into teaching and inspiring others. His gentle nature and obvious love for…

From Sunrise to Sunset: MAP Saskatchewan

January 15, 2016 - Well, it’s 5:00 a.m. on this cold morning, November 27th, which means I’ve got to get up and get going if I want to make it to Manor School on time. I get ready quickly and start loading my gear: 5 cords, 4 instruments, 3 stands, 2 speakers, 1 microphone…and a partridge…

Students discuss the Rita Joe Song Project

January 12, 2016 - In her autobiography, Rita Joe challenges Indigenous youth to find their voices, share their stories, and celebrate their talents. Inspired by this idea, the National Arts Centre asked teachers and students from five Indigenous groups across Canada to create a song based…

The Young Artists Program: the next generation of orchestral musicians

January 3, 2016 - Founded by Pinchas Zukerman in 1999, the National Arts Centre's Young Artists Program is an intensive training program for outstanding classical musicians. Alumni include NAC Orchestra musicians Jethro Marks (principal viola), Donnie Deacon (principal second violin),…

Young Artists Program teaches students to take musical risks

December 14, 2015 - When 24-year-old flutist Lara Deutsch was accepted into the National Arts Centre (NAC)’s Young Artists Program (YAP), she was thrilled. Already an accomplished musician, Lara, was keen to sharpen her skills by learning hands on experience from the program’s…

Inspiring Children through the Arts: Hip Hop Week at Rankin Inlet

December 11, 2015 - Students in Rankin Inlet were treated to some very special performing arts lessons when Hip-Hop artists Godson, Nelson Tagoona and local throat-singer Kathleen Merritt shared their skills at Simon Alaittuq School (SAS) from November 24 - November 26. Following the…

Welcoming a new maestro to the podium: Alexander Shelley begins his tenure

October 13, 2015 - It’s like visiting an old friend. That’s how Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra’s new Music Director, describes the joy we feel when we listen to live classical music. “There’s nothing that compares with revisiting pieces you know and love, and the enjoyment of…

Young People and the Arts at the NAC

October 2, 2015 - Meet the National Arts Centre’s artistic leaders: Cathy Levy, Executive Producer, NAC Dance; Jillian Keiley, Artistic Director NAC English Theatre; Brigitte Haentjens, Artistic Director NAC French Theatre; and Alexander Shelley, Music Director, NAC Orchestra. All of them…

Lang Lang’s 101 Pianists Gives Young Musicians the Opportunity of a Lifetime

September 22, 2015 - On September 18, 100 talented Ottawa students, paired on 50 Roland pianos, had the opportunity of a lifetime, when they joined world renowned piano virtuoso Lang Lang and Alexander Shelley on Southam Hall stage for 101 Pianists, a thrilling one-of-a-kind public…

Arts Education: An opportunity to talk heart to heart.

July 29, 2015 - When actor Lois Anderson attended the theatre as a grade 10 student it had a profound impact on her. "I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened to me in the theatre," says Lois, “when I was in that space with the lights down - being drawn into a story that was…

A Golden era: Pinchas Zukerman and the National Arts Centre Orchestra

June 15, 2015 - When Pinchas Zukerman became Music Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1999, a heady mixture of surprise and delight swept across Canada. As one of the finest violinists and violists of his generation — of any generation — Maestro Zukerman could have chosen…

Hip-hop in Baker Lake, Nunavut

April 22, 2015 - The Music Alive Program: Nunavut funded a hip-hop week in Baker Lake from March 9 to March 12. Nelson Tagoona, who performed at the NAC’s Northern Scene a couple of years ago, taught eight workshops on a style he’s credited with inventing— an entirely new category of…

Creating the conditions for joy

December 19, 2014 - If you were to try to describe unbridled human joy to a newcomer on planet Earth, pointing directly at Kyle during Elizabeth Simpson’s Music Circle class would make an easy visual. Kyle sits in the standard public high school chair, one leg tucked under another, and…

Why a late blooming arts lover is supporting the NAC

December 12, 2014 - Lawyer Michael Segal admits he wasn’t much of an arts lover in his youth. “I grew up with sports,” he says. “It was my wife, Hedy, who studied music and introduced me to the performing arts.” And so, Michael didn’t know what to expect when Hedy took him to his first…

How music builds community

December 11, 2014 - In 2006 the National Arts Centre began sending musicians into schools in rural and remote communities in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Developed in consultation with local boards of education, and using NAC-created teaching resources based on classical music composers,…

Explore the Symphony: The passion behind the podcast

December 9, 2014 - Tucked into the back corner of the NAC’s lobby the Hexagon Studio is a small space where big ideas are discussed. It is the home of NAC podcasting and it is where NAC Orchestra musician Marjolaine Fournier and music critic Jean-Jacques van Vlasselaer can be seen engaged…

Ce qui nous relie ? Sharing a space

November 12, 2014 - Eleven local youth will be part of the adventure. They said YES to the unique creation process led by an author and multidisciplinary artist. With their dreams and imagination they will try to remodel the present time. But first, they must meet and get acquainted.

Pre-show activities for kids

November 6, 2014 - To accompany the performance Eaux, the Théâtre français will be inaugurating a new space set aside for children. Established in association with the Ottawa Public Library, the book nook is an opportunity for children of all ages to discover books that complement the…

Soundtrack: a music creation project

October 30, 2014 - While in Bristol Canadian composer John Estacio met with eight young composers to explore the composition process. "Soundtrack" is an intergenerational project for young people to compose a musical work inspired by the musical memories and experiences of veterans. Each…

Ode to Canada: The NAC Orchestra in Salisbury

October 30, 2014 - Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra performed in the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral, just a few kilometres away from the muddy terrain where 30,000 Canadians came to train 100 years ago to fight in the First World War. The musicians were following in the footsteps…

A dream concert for a young musician

October 29, 2014 - Emily Sun was fortunate to participate in the NAC’s Summer Music Institute in June along with two other colleagues from the Royal College of Music who took part in the UK Tour’s London concert, playing in the RPO in the joint NAC Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic…

Pinchas Zukerman masterclass at the Royal College of Music

October 28, 2014 - The Britten Theatre at London's Royal College of Music was packed with students, teachers and music fans eager to learn from maestro Pinchas Zukerman'smasterclass. Three young violinists had been selected to perform; Chieri Tomi from the Royal Academy of Music and Soh…

Healing and hope through the beauty of music

October 28, 2014 - The NAC Orchestra’s UK Tour of performance, remembrance and education has seen the Orchestra perform beautiful concerts and engage in meaningful education events. In the week since the tour began, there have been many highlights. In Edinburgh, Orchestra musicians…

Inspire Day at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum

October 24, 2014 - Members of the NAC Orchestra Horn Quintet, together with NAC staff were up early to catch the train from Edinburgh to Glasgow this morning. Our destination was the Riverside Museum for an event called ‘Inspire Day’ with members of the Royal Scottish National…

Pinchas Zukerman on performing, teaching, and the stomach it takes to be...

October 24, 2014 - What do you need to make it as a musician? Intellect. Heart. And a feeling down deep in your stomach that says “Rrraaa!!!!” Watch this video, which premiered at the recent NAC Gala in support of arts education, and find out more about what drives the incomparable…

Big Noise Scotland: music making that fosters confidence and pride

October 22, 2014 - In 2008 Scotland became home to the UK’s first Big Noise Orchestra. Big Noise is an orchestra programme that uses music making to foster confidence, teamwork and pride in the children taking part – and across the wider community. An orchestra is by its nature a…

NAC GALA raises $917,000 for National Youth and Education Trust

October 2, 2014 - Tonight’s 18th annual National Arts Centre Gala put a shining new face on music education in Canada, raising the second-highest amount in its history and delighting concert-goers with a succession of astonishing performances. The NAC Gala with Pinchas, Itzhak & Friends…

Jessica Linnebach’s journey of friendship with Pinchas Zukerman

September 24, 2014 - Violinist Jessica Linnebach joined the National Arts Centre Orchestra in 2003 and became Associate Concertmaster in 2010. She has distinguished herself among the next generation of Canadian classical artists being lauded on concert stages nationally and around the world.…

Unforgettable video: Jessica Linnebach onstage at the NAC as a 7 year old

September 12, 2014 - Just check out the steely focus of Jessica Linnebach in this video of her 7 year-old self! In this archival video, Jessica Linnebach performs onstage at the National Arts Centre and wins the 1990 Canadian Music Competition Grand Prize, at the age of 7. “I remember how…

Storytelling through music with composer Abigail Richardson

August 21, 2014 - Kids are a big part of every NAC Orchestra tour. In preparation for its October 2014 tour to the United Kingdom commemorating the outbreak of the First World War, the Orchestra asked Canadian composer Abigail Richardson to work with students from Ottawa’s Colonel By…

NAC Dance Masterclasses open new horizons for students

August 15, 2014 - It’s only 10:30 on a Saturday morning but a group of eager dance students have already worked up a sweat. The students are in the middle of a masterclass at the NAC with Pierre Lapointe, principal ballet master with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montréal, and he’s…

2014 Summer Music Institute students thank generous donors

July 29, 2014 - In June 2014 the National Arts Centre welcomed 70 international and national students to its 16th annual Summer Music Institute (SMI). They joined the ranks of the more than one thousand talented young artists who, since 1999, have participated in the program under the…

A Catalyst for Learning: NAC Kinderconcerts

July 29, 2014 - Sitting together on mats in the NAC Panorama Room, the children are giggling. In front of them a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is getting in trouble with his sister. The kids, and more than a few parents, find this hilarious. “The kids were drawn into the Mozart…

UK Tour: Young trio to perform with NAC Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic...

July 9, 2014 - The NAC’s Summer Music Institute, co-founded by Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, has become a world-renowned magnet for the best young classical musicians. Students come from across Canada and around the world to train with a renowned international faculty. This summer,…

The Summer Music Institute: A World of Talent

June 23, 2014 - On the evening of June 16th, His Excellency Bruce Heyman, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, and his wife Vicki Heyman, hosted a special reception in celebration of the 16th edition of the National Arts Centre’s Summer Music Institute (SMI). The event took place on the grounds…

Music Alive Program: Nelson Tagoona in Cape Dorset

June 19, 2014 - Nelson Tagoona of Baker Lake, Nunavut is known for pioneering "throat-boxing." His blend of throat-singing and beat boxing electrified audiences at the NAC’s Northern Scene festival in April and May 2013, and his groove-driven music is infused with a positive message.…

How the Summer Music Institute helped set the stage for Jan Lisiecki

June 17, 2014 - When Jan Lisiecki first performed at the NAC, he was only 10. But there are things about that day he still remembers: the maze-like backstage, how the conductor expressed surprise at his hair, and the helpful, friendly nature of the NAC Orchestra. “They were so kind and…

Music and the Brain: Christine Carter on the psychology of practice

June 17, 2014 - In 1999, the National Arts Centre’s Music Director Pinchas Zukerman founded the Summer Music Institute with just 10 students. Today, the Institute welcomes over 70 students each year and has become a magnet for the best young Canadian and international classical artists,…

Imagined Spaces: the NAC’s online maquette collection

June 16, 2014 - One of my most memorable experiences as NAC archivist happened soon after starting the job in 1989. On a visit to the NAC warehouse, I uncovered a collection of mysterious black boxes containing maquettes – three-dimensional scale models of sets. They were created by…

The 2014-2015 French Theatre Season!

June 9, 2014 - Overview of the 2014-2015 French Theatre season. Don't miss it!

Hip-hop in Kugluktuk

May 27, 2014 - Imagine being a teenager and learning how to make a hip-hop video. Now imagine being taught how to do that by a famous Canadian hip-hop artist, at your school. It happened in Kugluktuk, Nunavut in late January through the NAC’s Music Alive Program in Nunavut, which is…

Happy birthday, NAC: Canada’s home for the performing arts turns 45

May 27, 2014 - On June 2, 1969, the National Arts Centre opened its doors for the first time, and history was made. "Not since Expo 67’s shimmering debut has an opening night stirred such an exhilarating sense of grand occasion.” – Time “After a weekend of splendid weather, the…

The Summer Music Institute: Shaping the artists of tomorrow

May 21, 2014 - Every summer, more than 70 young people from across Canada and around the globe make their way to the National Arts Centre because of their remarkable talent, their countless hours of incredibly hard work, and their steadfast dream of making music. Welcome to the NAC’s…

Happy Music Monday from Maestro Pinchas Zukerman!

May 5, 2014 - On May 5, Canadians from across the country will join together to celebrate Music Monday, a day to emphasize the importance of music education. To celebrate Music Monday’s tenth anniversary, schoolchildren from 10 Canadian cities will be linked through a live webcast to…

Ten youth occupy the stage with Ce qui nous relie ?

April 22, 2014 - Ten local youth will occupy the stage on April 25 and 26. Come see this unique and exceptional project by authors Anne-Marie Guilmaine and Mélanie Dumont at the Ottawa Arts Court.

Learning from the world’s best dancers

April 4, 2014 - Kyla Agtarap is a local dancer who often attends NAC Dance masterclasses. From modern to classical these masterclasses give young dancers the opportunity to receive instruction from the world's best dancers. The students are challenged to push beyond their boundaries and…

In children’s hands: Music Alive Program meets the music of R. Murray...

April 4, 2014 - Every year Calgary trumpeter Samantha Whelan Kotkas performs for about 1,100 schoolchildren who live mainly in rural Alberta. As a teaching musician for the National Arts Centre’s Music Alive Program, she’s done sessions on making music, and about classical composers…

A musical experience for autistic children

April 2, 2014 - The NAC Orchestra has many wonderful concerts that bring the joy of music to young people. However for kids who are on the Austistic Spectrum attending a live performance can be overwhelming. In order to reach out to this group of music lovers the NAC collaborated with…

NAC Orchestra UK Tour: Remembrance, performance and education

March 31, 2014 - Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, under the baton of its renowned Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, will undertake a performance and education tour of the United Kingdom in October 2014 to commemorate the First World War Centenary. The First World War is…

UK Tour: Feet on the Ground, Remembering 1914

March 31, 2014 - In his beautiful composition A Ballad of Canada, the late Canadian composer Malcolm Forsyth remembered John McCrae and his infamous 1915 poem, In Flanders Fields. McCrae composed the poem in the field, his surgeon’s kit bloodied and his heart broken after seeing a school…

Statu quo - Gilles Poulin-Denis walks his town

March 28, 2014 - Gilles Poulin-Denis, author of teen play Statu quo, shows us where his inspiration came from. Follow him through his town. Statu quo is presented on March 28 and 29 at 8 pm in the NAC Studio.

A certain way of engaging with music

March 20, 2014 - Elizabeth Simpson is a musician with the National Arts Centre Orchestra – a professional horn player educated in the intricacies and richness of classical music, and dedicated to the high level of artistic excellence that is the NAC Orchestra. She is also a mom. For…

Music, youth and the North

March 20, 2014 - The National Arts Centre strives to be a catalyst for performance, creation and learning in every part of the country. One of the ways we do that is through our Music Alive Program in Nunavut, which has now reached over 5,000 northern Canadians in Kugluktuk, Iqaluit,…

An adolescent spring at the Théâtre français

March 19, 2014 - Discover two shows that focus on youth issues, that shout out their dreams, aspirations and doubts. March 28-29, Statu quo by Gilles Poulin-Denis Statu quo tells the story of Sarah, a young girl who wishes to make things change in her life and in her…

Meet the young playwrights of Queen Mary Public School

March 6, 2014 - The plays written by the grade 5/6 students in Julie Coburn's class showcase the wonderful imagination of children. There is a character named 'Noodles' in one play and another features a wild wolf that becomes a friendly puppy. The plays are written in the classroom…

Speaking at a distance, yet building a community

March 5, 2014 - From February 26 to March 6 the programming channel at the NAC Hexagon studio will shift from Classical to Blues. The switch is due to the NAC's partnership with RBC Bluesfest in order to deliver, for the first time ever, RBC Bluesfest's Blues in the Schools (BITS)…

Music Alive Program connects in Ottawa

February 28, 2014 - Trumpet player Rachel Niego-Akavak first met NAC Orchestra musician Karen Donnelly in 2012 through the Music Alive Program in Nunavut. Rachel is a talented young musician but she did not have a trumpet teacher to take her music training to the next level. Over the past…

Bringing the Blues to Northern B.C.

February 24, 2014 - At the National Arts Centre, we strive to be a catalyst for performance, education and learning in communities across Canada. From February 26 to March 6, we are thrilled to be partnering with RBC Bluesfest so that we can deliver, for the first time ever deliver, RBC…

Alain Trudel Goes Back to School: It’s where it all began

February 3, 2014 - When NAC Orchestra Principal Youth and Family Conductor Alain Trudel visited Nepean High School he got right down to business and took a seat in the brass section during rehearsal. Within a very short time Alain had adjusted some key elements to their performance and…

Music Alive Program: Nunavut - Keyboards for Cape Dorset

January 22, 2014 - Do you have a portable keyboard at home that is not being used? Not sure what to do with it? The NAC’s Music Alive Program in Nunavut is interested in acquiring used portable keyboards to donate to Peter Pitseolak High School in Cape Dorset. This school recently…

Hip-Hop in Kugluktuk

January 17, 2014 - The Music Alive Program: Nunavut, a National Arts Centre program dedicated to supporting the incredible musical culture of Nunavut, is bringing Nelson Tagoona, a Baker Lake, Nunavut throat boxer, and hip-hop artist Aaron “Godson” Hernandez of Yellowknife, Northwest…

The NAC’s top 13 moments of 2013

December 30, 2013 - The National Arts Centre enjoyed a highly successful and memorable year over the past twelve months. Here are our top 13 moments from 2013: 1) The National Arts Centre Orchestra’s triumphant China Tour in October featured sellout concerts, rave reviews and standing…

Don’t give up your dreams

December 6, 2013 - Ballet Master Jaime Vargas has danced various lead roles for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet such as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Bob in Val Caniparoli’s hit A Cinderella Story, Captain Hook in Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan,Tamino in Mark Godden’s The Magic Flute and the title…

Putting their best face forward: Young dancers benefit from ballet make-up and...

November 15, 2013 - You could feel the concentration in the room. Ten young dancers, each with her own make-up station, watched intently as Alberta Ballet’s Skye Balfour-Ducharme and Alexandra Pera demonstrated step-by-step how to apply stage make-up. Then it was their turn. By the end…

Students develop a three minute play and the skills to last a...

October 25, 2013 - The little girl was shy at first. She had recently arrived from China and didn’t speak much English. She wasn’t sure what the Three-Minute Play Festival was all about or how she could contribute. “She was part of a group but she would just disappear,” admits Kristina…

Education activities in Shanghai

October 19, 2013 - While in Shanghai, NAC Orchestra musicians held more than a dozen masterclasses and instrument coaching sessions for students at the Shanghai Conservatory, one of the most prestigious conservatories in China.

Maestro Zukerman says “Art takes time”

October 16, 2013 - Students from the Central Conservatory of Music crowded into the recital hall to attend a masterclass by Pinchas Zukerman. During the class Maestro Zukerman returned to some of the basics of posture, bow technique and finding the balance between passion and control when…

Busy in Beijing

October 14, 2013 - During the next 4 days NAC Orchestra musicians will take part in more than two dozen educational activities in Beijing — masterclasses, lectures, and intimate performances — at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM),…

Eager students soak up musical knowledge

October 10, 2013 - Violinist Elaine Klimasko is a founding member of the NAC Orchestra whose passion for teaching is clearly evident. From the moment she greets her students at Xinghai Conservatory in Guangzhou her curious and outgoing nature creates an immediate rapport. Students hang on…

A musical surprise for St. Mary’s Canossian School

October 8, 2013 - Musicians from the NAC's Institute of Orchestral Studies surprised and delighted the students of St Mary's Canossian School when they began to play their school song. After some polite hesitation students received the nod from their principal and begain to sing while…

Musical exchange at Lok Sin Tong Primary

October 5, 2013 - Today an NAC Orchestra wind quintet and the Rideau Brass Quintet travelled by bus to the New Territories to perform for students at Lok Sin Tong Leung Kau Kui Primary School. Our musicians were impressed with focus of the students who played chinese instruments such…

Erhu masterclass with Professor Yu Hongmei

October 2, 2013 - Earlier this year Professor Yu Hongmei, renowned erhu soloist and teacher at China's Central Conservatory of Music held a masterclass with Ottawa student Leo Zhang in the NAC's Hexagon Studio.

Making connections possible that wouldn’t otherwise be possible

Alumnus Travis Harrison shares his most memorable experiences at the SMI – (Part 3)

June 20, 2013 - SMI: Congratulations on your appointment with the WSO! Can you give some advice to young musicians about the orchestra audition process? Travis: I think that the most important thing that people need going into an audition is confidence. I’m sure that there are lots of…

Students prepare for the 15th annual Summer Music Institute (SMI)—Part One

April 15, 2013 - We’re only a few months away from the 15th annual Summer Music Institute (SMI) at the National Arts Centre! In preparation, we’ve asked three SMI faculty members -- Patty Kopec (violin/viola), Grigory Kalinovsky (violin/viola), and Charles (Chip) Hamann (oboe) -- to…

Discovering Music That Surrounds Us

We are Canada’s National Orchestra

Beyond the House Program

November 13, 2012 - Often people attend a play or concert having thoroughly researched what they are about to experience. The who, what, when, where and why have all been answered before they settle into their seat. I prefer to show up without any expectations. I will have read the show…