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Why I give to the performing arts: Dasha Shenkman
April 29, 2024I’m delighted to be supporting the NACO Mentorship Program, something that is very close to my heart. Although I have lived most of my life in England, I was born in Ottawa and have always felt Canadian, as opposed to British. So, there is a very strong connection for me to this city. My…
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Meet the musicians of the 2024 NACO Mentorship program
April 23, 2024As the calendar inches closer to April 29, anticipation mounts at the National Arts Centre, where we eagerly await the arrival of a group of 44 outstanding young musicians. From April 29 to May 17, the NAC will be transformed into a hub of musical inspiration and professional growth, as…
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Oboist Luca Ortolani wins NACO Bursary Competition
April 9, 2024In an exciting weekend of spirited competition, a talented group of emerging musicians gathered on the University of Ottawa campus for the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Bursary Competition. The competition, held from April 5 to 7, 2024, welcomed 16 aspiring brass and wind players, aged…
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The Spirit Horse Returns: A Fun Afternoon of Artmaking with Rhonda Snow
March 14, 2024The NAC’s Canal Lobby was a creative playground for audience members of all ages on February 11, preceding the NAC Orchestra and NAC Indigenous Theatre’s sold-out performance of The Spirit Horse Returns. Anishinaabe artist and Ojibwe horse breed expert Rhonda Snow delighted patrons with…
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The search is on! NACO seeking first Resident Conductor
February 22, 2024You need experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience... Imagine navigating this dilemma in the intricate world of orchestral conducting! With limited opportunities and a unique set of challenges, aspiring conductors face a musical catch-22 in the pursuit of their…
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What is a Spirit Horse?
February 7, 2024The NAC Orchestra and NAC Indigenous Theatre join forces to present The Spirit Horse Returns in Southam Hall Do you know about Spirit Horses? They are small Indigenous horses that used to live alongside First Nations throughout the Boreal forests of Canada and the United States. Ken…
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Ready, set, apply! The NAC Orchestra Bursary is back
November 30, 2023Making the cut It’s 1981 and a $1,000 prize is on the line in the first-ever edition of the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s Bursary Competition. Anything could happen. You make the cut. You get to compete in the NAC Orchestra Bursary competition! You’ve rehearsed the concerto on repeat,…
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Strauss reimagined: NACO commissions four new works
November 22, 2023Contemporary Canadian composers create companion pieces to Strauss classics “This is a musical adventure that pushes the boundaries of creativity. We are thrilled to have these distinguished Canadian composers join us on this incredible journey, reimagining Strauss’s masterpieces with…
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The NAC Gala: An annual event to ensure the future of the...
October 24, 2023It’s with great excitement that the National Arts Centre is getting ready for its most glamorous fall event. The 25th NAC Gala, featuring world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming with the NAC Orchestra, is Wednesday, November 1, 2023, in Southam Hall. From classical opera to beloved Broadway…
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NACO welcomes new faces, fresh sounds
October 11, 2023If you’ve attended one of our concerts this season, you may have already spotted some fresh faces on stage! We’re thrilled to introduce Zachary Bond, our new bass trombonist at the NAC Orchestra, and Tovin Allers, the newest member of our Orchestra’s viola section. Tovin Allers is no…
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Five minutes to fall in love with Clara, Robert and Johannes
September 11, 2023We asked Alexander Shelley, music director of the NAC Orchestra: What are the five minutes you’d play to make a friend fall in love with Clara Schumann? Robert Schumann? Johannes Brahms? Read on and listen to all the moods of Clara, Robert and Johannes: passionate, peaceful, terrifying,…
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Sarah Jennings: Sharing a lifelong passion for opera
June 15, 2023Sarah Jennings, political and cultural journalist and author of the book Art and Politics: The History of the National Arts Centre is a longtime friend and champion of the NAC. Her most recent gift to the NAC Foundation supports the NAC Orchestra’s in-concert performances of Mozart’s Don…
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Mozart meets Ivany: Two opera stars connect in the 21st century through...
June 8, 2023Joel Ivany knows opera. He is founder and artistic director of Against the Grain Theatre in Toronto; Artistic Director of Edmonton Opera; a familiar face to opera fans in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Norway, Australia, and elsewhere; writer of at least seven librettos for various…
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A Buzz in the Air: The NAC Orchestra’s SPHERE festival
November 23, 2022Your donations to the NAC Foundation help to create artistic programming that is relevant to our time. SPHERE, a music, arts and science festival about our world in a time of climate crisis, engaged audiences between September 22 and 25. Co-curated by Alexander Shelley and…
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Bobby Thompson winner of 2022 NAC Orchestra Bursary competition
May 5, 2022Bobby Thompson, bassoon, takes home $7,000 grand prize It was a competitive weekend for music students from around the National Capital Region who congregated at the National Arts Centre (NAC) and on the University of Ottawa campus for the National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO)’s Annual…
