Orchestras Canada

The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the appointment of Aimé Dontigny as the Head of the Music Section, succeeding Russell Kelley, who retired in December. He is an accomplished electro-acoustic musician and administrator who’s been working at the Council since 2007, and he starts right away. Congratulations, Aimé! Congratulations to the gifted young [...]

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It’s been a busy few weeks in Windsor, Ontario with the concluding concerts in John Morris Russell’s eleven-year tenure with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra – and a bit of a community celebration to send the Maestro on his way. We’d like to join in and wish JMR all the best in his new adventures with [...]

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Orchestra News was saddened to hear of the recent passing of Dr. Tom Condon, an exceptional academic and long-time cultural volunteer, whose efforts were key in restoring Saint John’s beautiful Imperial Theatre, and who led the board of Symphony New Brunswick for many years, as well. We send our condolences to his family and friends. [...]

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The Counterpoint Community Orchestra, based in Toronto, has announced the retirement of long-time Concertmaster Paul Willis, after over 20 years in the role. Mr. Willis, a lawyer by profession, will continue to play in the violin section, but has had to relinquish the concertmaster role due to a hand injury. As ongoing proof of his [...]

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Congratulations to three members of Orchestra London who recently celebrated their 25th anniversary with the orchestra. They include concertmaster Joseph Lanza, violist Thea Boyd, and cellist Julia MacGregor.

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Late last week, the National Assembly of the Province of Quebec presented Maestro Kent Nagano (music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal) with the Medal of Honour of the National Assembly. The distinction is awarded to people from varied backgrounds whoare deemed to merit the recognition of all members of the National Assembly and [...]

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Congratulations to Nathan Brock, currently assistant conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, who was awarded the Ontario Arts Council’s Heinz Unger Award at a concert by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra last Saturday evening. Speaking about his unique qualifications for this year’s award, the jury noted “Nathan is at an exciting stage in his career, [...]

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Congratulations to Éric Abramovitz (clarinet), Ariane Brisson (flute), and Charles-Alexis Côté (percussion), finalists in the recent young performers competition held by the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières. The final round will be held in May, at the time of the orchestra’s gala performance of Carmina Burana. The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to announce that Mélanie [...]

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This coming weekend, at a performance by the Orchestre Metropolitain, Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin will be presented with Prix Denise-Pelletier by Mme Christine St-Pierre, Quebec Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women. The award is one of twelve Prix du Québec, and specifically honours outstanding artistic achievement. Previous winners of the award include such [...]

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Pinchas Zukerman, the National Arts Centre Orchestra’s music director since 1999, announced earlier this week that he will be stepping down from the role in August, 2015.  Speaking about Maestro Zukerman’s decision, Peter Herrndorf (the NAC’s President and CEO) said, “The NAC has benefitted immeasurably from his leadership on the podium, his artistry as a [...]

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