Orchestras Canada

The Esprit Orchestra, led by founder/music director Alex Pauk, presents the final concert in its season tomorrow, March 29, with a program of music including Xenakis‘ Jonchaies, Harry Somers’ Third Piano Concerto (with soloist James Parker), and the world premiere of Jimmie Leblanc’s The Touch of Psyche, at Toronto’s Koerner Hall. As the composer notes, “In the relationship that unites Psyche to Eros, an essential condition prevails: Psyche must not see or know her lover, for if she does, she risks having him fly away from her forever. The lover can touch and experience Eros, but the mystery that remains between them creates an intolerable tension. Aren’t there similarities between this relationship and the listener who is tempted to uncover the mystery of music? A phenomenon that one can “touch” through sensory experience, but thoroughly understand only with great difficulty… and at the risk of the music disappearing?”

The performance will also feature a presentation by the Canadian Music Centre to the winner of the Ontario Emerging Composer Award; as well, Esprit will perform the top selected work from a recent reading of student composers’ works at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music.

For more information about the Esprit Orchestra, please visit espritorchestra.com.

The National Arts Centre and the Canadian Music Centre are paying tribute to JUNO Award nominees in classical categories with a special one-hour free concert on Friday March 30.

This concert will feature JUNO nominated performers Susan Hoeppner, Heather Schmidt, and the New Orford String Quartet, along with music by JUNO nominated composers Jacques Hétu, Ann Southam, Heather Schmidt, and Derek Charke. Christina Petrowska Quilico, who performed on the recordings of Heather Schmidt’s nominated piano concerto and Ann Southam’s nominated Glass Houses #5, will also perform on the program.

January 28 to February 3, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra presents its 21st annual New Music Festival (NMF) – this year focusing on music from Nordic cultures, particularly Iceland.

The festival is a typically intrepid NMF mix, marrying outstanding local and Canadian artists with distinguished international visitors. Here’s a quick rundown:

Local stars: the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, led by Alexander Mickelthwate; the Canadian Mennonite University Chorus; Prairie Voices; WSO principal violist Daniel Scholz (featured in Giya Kancheli’s Styx); Groundswell Ensemble; and composers Vincent Ho, Jim Hiscott, Gordon Fitzell, Michael Matthews, Diana Macintosh, and Jesse Plessis (a student at Brandon University who recently won the Canadian Music Centre’s Emerging Composer award).

Canadian guests: cellist Shauna Rolston (performing a new concerto by Vincent Ho for carbon fibre cello and orchestra), dance troupe La La La Human Steps, composers Alexina Louie and Tim Hecker.

International visitors: violinist Jennifer Koh, composers Kaija Saariaho, Daniel Bjarnason, Nico Muhly, Valgeir Sigurdsson, Gavin Bryars, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Atli Heimir Sveinsson

Venues: Centennial Concert Hall, Westminster United Church, Winnipeg Art Gallery

In line with Glenn Buhr’s long ago comment that “the New Music Festival is better than Christmas: it lasts longer, and it’s way cheaper”, Festival passes are a distinct bargain: $99 (regular) $89 (senior) $59 (student). For more information please visit newmusicfestival.ca.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the creation of The Prime Minister’s Awards for Volunteerism, designed to recognize achievement in three broad areas: community leadership, business leadership in corporate social responsibility, and social innovation. More details on the awards will be available in April 2011, and the first awards will be presented this year. You can read more about the awards here.

The province of Ontario is now accepting nominations for its annual Honours and Awards program. There are a number of award categories, including the Volunteer Service Awards, which recognize the thousands of people who contribute their time as volunteers across Ontario. Additional service awards and medals, including for young volunteers, are also open for nomination. The deadline for the Volunteer Service Awards is January 25, 2011. Because there are multiple deadlines for the other categories, we recommend checking their website for up-to-date information on the other awards. For more information, and to make a nomination, visit: www.citizenship.gov.on.ca.

The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) and the Canadian League of Composers (CLC) have announced that they will be awarding two Friends of Canadian Music Awards in 2011, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the CLC. Deadline for nominations is March 1, 2011. Performers, orchestras, administrators, broadcasters, journalists, teachers, composers or others who have demonstrated an outstanding and exceptional dedication to Canadian composers and their music are eligible for the regular annual FOCM award. Writers, researchers, academics, and scholars whose work relates to Canadian composers and their music (including research, criticism, writing, teaching, etc.), and whose life’s work is of a significant nature and of national scope, are eligible for the Special FOCM Award for Lifetime Academic Achievement. For more about the awards and nomination requirements, please visit here.

Late last week, Joseph L. Rotman, Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, announced the reappointment of Robert Sirman as Director and CEO of the Canada Council for a second four-year term. Mr. Rotman characterized this as “excellent news. Mr. Sirman’s leadership over the last four years has been exemplary…Under Mr. Sirman’s leadership, the Council underwent two significant reviews: a Special Examination by the Auditor General of Canada, which said the Council was doing a good job of managing its affairs, and a Strategic Review of all of its programs, which resulted in the 2010 federal budget stating that the Council’s programs were aligned with the priorities of Canadians. The Board and I look forward to drawing upon Mr. Sirman’s wealth of experience and expertise in our continuing efforts to ensure that Canadians enjoy an abundance of arts experiences of exceptional quality across the land.”

Congratulations to Maestro John Morris Russell, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, who has been presented with the Herb Gray Harmony Award by the Multicultural Council of Windsor, recognizing the diverse and inclusive concert series and musical programs he has developed to celebrate and promote multiculturalism in Windsor/Essex. In the announcement of the award, he was cited in this way: Maestro Russell is an advocate for Windsor/Essex and strives to reach out to all members of society. Music has given him a means of connecting with the residents of Windsor/Essex and increasing the quality of life. His diverse programming has given cultures a voice and a way through which to educate others. His education concerts specifically target students to create an awareness of other cultures early on and give composers from different cultures a medium to present their work. John Morris Russell has made Windsor/Essex a welcoming place for artists from different cultures and a city with diverse artistic talents.

The Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition in piano has announced its 2010 winners. The laureates include grand prize winner Claudia Chan, a 20-year-old pianist from Ottawa currently studying in Toronto; second prize and Brandon Prize winner, Andrea Lodge of Bonavista, N.L.; third prize winner, Christopher Morano, originally of Sault Ste. Marie ON.  As well, the Canadian Music Centre and Canadian League of Composers presented its Friends of Canadian Music Award to Montréal-based conductor Véronique Lacroix - also founder and artistic director of the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal – who has conducted over 200 Canadian works during her career.

A tantalizing glimpse of what’s to come at the Winnipeg Symphony’s New Music Festival 2010 was revealed yesterday, with the announcement that the WSO will debut a a new work by Darren Miller, the Saskatchewan composer who won the 2010 Emerging Composer Competition of the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region. Miller’s work will be premiered on February 10, 2010.  According to the media announcement, “the winning composition by Miller, for amma, was chosen from orchestral works submitted by emerging Canadian composers, all of whom have Prairie connections. Each entry was judged by a jury, which included the WSO’s composer-in-residence – and former Emerging Composer Competition winner – Vincent Ho.”

The National Arts Centre has just announced the most recent winners of the NAC Awards, three $75,000 packages encompassing musical commissions and residencies.  The honorees, well-known in the Canadian orchestral community are (alphabetically) John Estacio of Edmonton; Peter Paul Koprowski of Ottawa; and Ana Sokolovic of Montreal.  Each composer will be commissioned to write three works that will be performed by the NAC Orchestra over the next five years, and will help teach student musicians as part of the NAC’s Summer Music Institute.  The NAC initiative was established in 2002, with Gary Kulesha, Denys Bouliane and Alexina Louie the inaugural recipients. The goal is to present the awards about every five years in future.

The Orchestre symphonique de Québec has announced the appointment of one of its executive committee members to the board of the National Arts Centre. M. Claude Gauvin, a chartered accountant and partner at Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton was appointed to the NAC board on October 27. 

In honour of the Canadian Music Centre’s 50th anniversary, the CMC has chosen to publicly recognize 50 outstanding Canadian performers and conductors who have played exceptional roles in shaping the Canadian music scene.  It’s a terrific list that includes many, many stellar figures from the current and past membership of Orchestras Canada, including Mario Bernardi, Robert Cram, Victor Feldbrill, Peter Gardner, Gwen Hoebig, Gary Kulesha, Veronique Lacroix, Eduard Minevich, Alex Pauk, Olga Ranzenhofer, Bramwell Tovey, Alain Trudel and Lorraine Vaillancourt.  Congratulations one and all!  For the complete list, you can visit here.

Orchestras Canada and the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres have announced the appointment of Diann Missal as our (shared) Conference Marketing and Logistics Associate.  Ms Missal is a recent graduate of the Arts Administration – Cultural Management program at Humber College, and she will divide her time between PACT and OC until March 31, 2010.  The position has been made possible through the Youth Internship Program of the Cultural Human Resources Council.  You can reach Diann at OC by phone at 416-366-8834 x223 or by email at diann [at] oc [dot] ca.