Orchestras Canada

The last few weeks have been good ones for Orchestras Canada members, and we’d like to acknowledge some key accomplishments and landmarks. Congratulations to the Royal Conservatory of Music, which kicked off its 125th year of operation on November 20th. Speaking about the milestone, RCM President Dr. Peter Simon noted that, ““the broad-based programs of [...]

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On December 7 and 8, principal conductor and music director designate Jean-Marie Zeitouni will return to lead I Musici de Montreal for the first time since March, when he made his astounding debut with the group. He will lead the orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 4 and 7, and both performances will take place at [...]

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The Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra recently celebrated its 35th anniversary with a sold-out fundraising concert – an event that attracted almost 800 people, including a group of teenagers in residential care who were present with their music therapist, Anna Plaskett. The evening’s program was conducted by NSYO Artistic Director Dinuk Wijeratne, and featured the NSYO [...]

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This past weekend, the Niagara Symphony (led by Music Director Bradley Thachuk) gave the first Canadian performance of Shadows, a new work for orchestra and piano soloist by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The work (which featured project instigator Jeffrey Biegel as soloist) was commissioned by a consortium of orchestras from around the world, [...]

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The National Arts Centre presents a new exhibition – “Working Together: The National Arts Centre Honours Employee Dedication and Excellence, 2011” – of photographic portraits made by longtime NAC Orchestra violinist Lev Berenshteyn. The exhibition is free and will be on display in the main foyer of Southam Hall from late November until early December. [...]

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Every year, we are deluged with media releases about orchestras’ holiday programs. And every year, we admire afresh those orchestras that embrace the opportunity to spread holiday cheer while celebrating their communities. Here are some recent examples: December 14, Orchestra London will team up with the Unity Project for Relief of Homelessness to present the [...]

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We’re recommending a couple of things for your reading pleasure this week: 1. Drew McManus of the US orchestra blog, Adaptistration, has recently completed reviewing a range of US and Canadian orchestra websites – and you can read the findings on 14 Canadian orchestras here. You can also read overall comparisons between US and Canadian [...]

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AUDITIONS National Academy Orchestra Auditions: All Instruments / Appel d’auditions Application deadline/Date limite : February 10 février 2012

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November 22 to December 3, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra presents Virtuosity! A Festival of Extreme Classics. As befits any orchestral festival worthy of the name, the CPO event (intriguingly sponsored by The Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary) blends orchestral performances, distinguished Canadian and international soloists, lectures, a film, and plenty of [...]

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Both Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra are on the road right now – and if you, like we, enjoy a bit of arm-chair travel, we’d invite you to follow these intrepid musicians via the blog postings they are filing from the road. The National Arts Centre Orchestra is in the final [...]

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