The National Arts Centre has announced the renewal of Maestro Pinchas Zukerman’s contract as the NAC Orchestra’s Music Director for four more years, to August 31, 2015.  The decision to renew Mr. Zukerman’s contract was unanimously approved by the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees, on the recommendation of NAC President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Herrndorf.  In a statement Mr. Herrndorf said, “Pinchas Zukerman’s gift of music has delighted audiences across Canada and internationally. For more than a decade the National Arts Centre has benefitted from his leadership on the podium, his extraordinary artistry as a soloist, and his deep commitment to music education. We are thrilled this relationship will continue.”

Congratulations to Bernard Labadie, music director of Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Quebec, who will make his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra this weekend in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.  He will not be the only Canadian on stage, either:  celebrated contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux will be one of the six soloists for these performances.

Our congratulations to Bernard Labadie, music director of les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, who was recently selected as Grand Lauréat of the Year by Le Soleil and Radio-Canada, in honour of the acclaim his artistry has brought to Quebec’s capital region.

Orchestra News was saddened to learn of the death, earlier this week, of Canadian composer Jacques Hétu.  A native of Trois-Rivières, M. Hétu taught at Université Laval, the Université de Montréal and UQAM.  His catalogue of compositions comprises over 70 works, and he has been one of the most-performed Canadian composers of works for orchestra.  We’ll not soon forget the experience of taking him backstage to meet the members of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 2004, fresh from a performance of his Images de la Révolution:  the NYO members were as excited to thank him for the privilege of playing his work as he was pleased to meet them.

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced the appointment of Dory Vanderhoof (of Toronto consulting and executive search firm Genovese Vanderhoof) as their Interim Chief Development Officer.

The Quinte Symphony has announced the appointment of Marilyn Lawrie as their General Manager, effective January 11.  An experienced arts professional with a strong background in theatre, opera and music, Ms Lawrie served as Concert Manager and General Manager of the Quinte Symphony from 2004-08, leaving the role to work as Director of Outreach and Production at Opera Lyra Ottawa.  Speaking about the appointment, Quinte Symphony board chair Judith Chalmers said, “we feel so fortunate to be able to work with Marilyn again at this important moment in Quinte Symphony’s history.”

Orchestra News conveys hearty congratulations to two Canadian conductors who have recently received accolades for their work in major American cities – Yannick Nezet-Seguin for his work conducting a new production of Bizet’s Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera in New York; and Bernard Labadie, who led Les Violons du Roy and the Chapelle de Quebec in performances in New York and Los Angeles. 

You can read the New York Times review of Maestro Nezet-Seguin’s work here. You can also read an interview with him in Opera News here. You can read the LA Times review of the Violons du Roy performance here.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 OSM Standard Life Competition, announced early last week.  The grand prize winner was Alberta pianist Jan Lisiecki; other first prize  winners included pianist Tristan Longval and percussionist Benjamin Duinker.

Congratulations also to Bernard Labadie, winner of this year’s Prix d’excellence des arts et de la culture, presented by the Fondation de l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec.  The award was presented by provincial minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, and during the ceremony, Maestro Labadie was cited for his exceptional contribution to the city’s and the province’s musical landscape since he founded Les Violons du Roy over twenty-five years ago.

Orchestra News conveys its congratulations to Bernard Labadie, music director of Quebec’s Les Violons du Roy.  Maestro Labadie made his critically-acclaimed debut at New York’s Metropolitan Opera last week – and here’s what the New York Times had to say:  www.nytimes.com

 
 Last week, the Canada Council for the Arts presented fine string instruments or bows to a group of exceptionally talented Canadian artists through its Musical Instrument Bank program.  Winners included violinists Judy Kang, Marie-Ève Poupart, Renée-Paule Gauthier (currently interim associate concertmaster of the Calgary Philharmonic), Véronique Mathieu, Caroline Chéhadé, Nikki Chooi, Andréa Tyniec, Min-Jeong Koh, Kerry DuWors, Jessica Linnebach (a member of the first violin section of the National Arts Centre Orchestra), and Jing Wang; and cellists Rachel Mercer, Chloé Dominguez, and Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron. The winners were selected by a committee consisting of Peter Gardner, violinist and director of Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra (St. John’s, NL); Uri Mayer, violist and conductor (Toronto); and Sophie Rolland, cellist (London, England).
   
Symphony Nova Scotia has appointed Alex Kall as its new Production Coordinator.  Alex first came to SNS as a summer marketing intern, plays bass (both upright and electric) and has a Bachelor’s degree from Acadia University in Music Technology.