Topics: music

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

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 masterclass and performance…

Moments on stage: A mother’s story

Anticipating Opening Night with the NAC Orchestra

The National Arts Centre Orchestra’s musicians have been practicing for weeks in the lead-up to the opening night of the season, and to Alexander Shelley’s inaugural beginning as Music Director. Now as the final hours tick-on, and last minute adjustments to phrasing and colour have been…

A dream fulfilled: Royal Wood takes centre stage at Southam Hall

It has been an incredible journey for Peterborough singer-songwriter Royal Wood. Since being proclaimed the “Songwriter of the Year”, by iTunes in 2008, Royal has continued to evolve and hone his musical craft – maintaining an unmistakable identity while uncovering and reinventing his…

Celebrating Oscar Peterson’s 90th birthday

Come and wish Oscar Peterson, one of the world’s greatest jazz musicians “Happy Birthday” on Saturday, August 15 at 1:00 p.m. The National Arts Centre will be hosting a jazz concert by the Clayton Connell quartet beside the statue of Oscar Peterson on the corner of Elgin St. and Albert St.…

Ontario Scene Highlights

Festival season is in full swing and Canadians everywhere are gathering to enjoy cultural activities outdoors. From Vancouver to P.E.I Shakespeare is performed in parks and on beaches, music of all kinds drifts through the warm night air and during the day families gather to watch buskers,…

The WolfGANG Sessions: Music with a wild side

The Mercury Lounge is a jewel of a nightclub in Ottawa's Byward Market. It's high ceilings, exposed brick walls and tall windows make it an elegant setting for live music and dancing into the wee hours of the night. It is not a place one would expect to hear classical music and that's what…

Red carpet highlights from the 2015 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards

The Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards for Lifetime Artistic Achievement are Canada’s highest honour for the performing arts. This year's recipients are singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, filmmakers Atom Egoyan and Jean-Marc Vallée, actor-directors Diana Leblanc and R.H. Thomson,…

The arts are our country’s deepest expression

Earlier this spring the laureates for the 2015 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards were announced at events held in Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto and via live stream. They were the first of many celebrations that will honour Canadian artists whose accomplishments have…

Daniel Lanois: What lives outside of measurement

For Daniel Lanois, the most important qualities of an artist not quantifiable.  "It's hard to measure imagination and original thought, instinct, intuition,” the acclaimed producer and musician said. “All those primal powers we possess as adventurers cannot be measured." Daniel Lanois…

A Harmonic Storm: Daniel Lanois with the NAC Orchestra

In June 2013 Daniel Lanois visited the National Arts Centre to receive the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement. Two years later Lanois is once again backstage at the NAC's Southam Hall - this time as a performer. "It's nice to experience this beautiful edifice…

Experience Ontario’s best artists at the Scene

At the National Arts Centre, we like to say that “Canada is our stage,” a statement that underlines our commitment to work with artists and arts organizations across the country to build a national stage for the performing arts. The Scene festivals are a perfect illustration of that…

Hip-hop in Baker Lake, Nunavut

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 music called throat-…

From the truck to the stage

The National Ballet of Canada's production of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a dazzling over-the-top extravaganza that truly delights audiences. The sets, costumes and equipment required for this magnificent ballet fill nine tractor trailers and it takes an expert team to assemble this…

The NAC Orchestra Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet at Stonehenge

The NAC Orchestra Rideau Lakes Brass Quintet gave a 20 minute chamber music recital at Stonehenge, one of the wonders of the world and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe. In October 1914, young Canadian Soldiers packed up and stepped onto ocean liners to cross the Atlantic.…