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Music Alive Program: Nelson Tagoona in Cape Dorset
June 19, 2014Nelson 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. Nelson is also a…
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How the Summer Music Institute helped set the stage for Jan Lisiecki
June 17, 2014When 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 professional,”…
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Music and the Brain: Christine Carter on the psychology of practice
June 17, 2014In 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, providing…
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Imagined Spaces: the NAC’s online maquette collection
June 16, 2014One 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 designers for…
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The 2014-2015 French Theatre Season!
June 9, 2014Overview of the 2014-2015 French Theatre season. Don't miss it!
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Hip-hop in Kugluktuk
May 27, 2014Imagine 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 dedicated to…
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Happy birthday, NAC: Canada’s home for the performing arts turns 45
May 27, 2014On 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 opening night was…
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The Summer Music Institute: Shaping the artists of tomorrow
May 21, 2014Every 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 Summer Music…
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Happy Music Monday from Maestro Pinchas Zukerman!
May 5, 2014On 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 perform and share in…
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Ten youth occupy the stage with Ce qui nous relie ?
April 22, 2014Ten 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.
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Learning from the world’s best dancers
April 4, 2014Kyla 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 explore new aspects…
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In children’s hands: Music Alive Program meets the music of R. Murray...
April 4, 2014Every 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 like Vivaldi, Mozart…
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A musical experience for autistic children
April 2, 2014The 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 Erin Parkes the…
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NAC Orchestra UK Tour: Remembrance, performance and education
March 31, 2014Canada’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 particularly significant to…
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UK Tour: Feet on the Ground, Remembering 1914
March 31, 2014In 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 friend die in…
