OTTAWA, ON—Canada’s National Arts Centre is delighted to announce that Astral Radio, a division of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B), has made a $2.3 million commitment to the NAC Foundation— the largest-ever contribution the performing arts institution has ever received. 

The funds, which will be spread over seven years, will go toward helping the NAC identify young Canadian musical artists who show exceptional promise, and encourage them to reach their full potential through world-class training and showcasing opportunities. 

“We are tremendously grateful to Astral Radio for this incredible contribution, which will go a very long way toward supporting young Canadian artists,” said NAC Foundation CEO Jayne Watson. “Through its generosity Astral has made a wonderful and important investment in the performing arts of this country.”

“We care deeply about developing the future of Canadian music and we take every opportunity to lead the way in supporting Canadian talent,” said Rob Farina, Executive Vice-President, Content and Platforms, Astral Radio. “It is our hope that this contribution to the NAC will help nurture, develop and showcase the next generation of great Canadian artists.”

Astral’s contribution is part of a Canadian Content Development funding package associated with the launch of its EZ Rock 99.7 radio station in Ottawa. Consisting of various funding initiatives to help create and promote audio content for broadcast, these important initiatives provide support, promotion, training and development of Canadian musical and spoken word talent.

Many NAC initiatives will benefit from Astral Radio’s investment. They include: 

• Masterclasses, such as the Manhattan on the Rideau series at the NAC’s Fourth Stage, that link some of the world’s greatest jazz musicians and teachers to young Canadian jazz artists via broadband; 
• showcasing opportunities, such as supporting young Canadian artists who appear in the NAC Orchestra Pops concerts;
• the Summer Music Institute, a prestigious training ground for some of the world’s most promising young performers, conductors and composers;  
• the Institute for Orchestral Studies, a unique apprenticeship and mentoring program that gives young musicians striving for professional orchestra careers the chance to rehearse, learn from and perform with the NAC Orchestra; and
• beginning in 2011, Astral and the NAC will also create a new annual “My First NAC” concert that will showcase young Canadian musicians.

The NAC is a leader in music education and its programs have reached hundreds of thousands of young Canadians across Canada. The NAC helps support young artists through training, showcasing and mentorship programs, supports music education in schools, and helps to build the audiences of the future. On top of that, the NAC Orchestra’s regular tours across various regions of Canada include a very significant amount of education activities.

Astral is one of Canada’s largest media companies. It operates several of the country’s most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

For more information please contact:

 

Mary Gordon Communications Advisor   National Arts Centre (613) 947-7000, ext. 849 mgordon@nac-cna.ca

Hugues Mousseau Communications Manager Astral Media inc. (514) 939-5000 hmousseau@astral.com