Orchestras Canada

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 the Salle Bourgie at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. As the orchestra’s media release says, the dimensions of the concert hall closely resemble those of the Eroica Saal in the Palais Lobkowitz, where Beethoven often performed – and the dimensions of the orchestra will be similar, as well!

I Musici de Montréal has just announced its 2011-12 season, its first under the leadership of Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni. The season contains a total of forty concerts, most performed in two different venues: the Salle Tudor at Ogilvy’s (with five performances each of the concerts on that series), and the new Salle Bourgie at the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montréal. As well, Maestro Zeitouni will lead a special Good Friday performance of Handel’s Messiah, with the Choir of the Studio
de musique ancienne de Montréal, at the sparkling new orchestra hall in Place des Arts.

A number of guest directors will appear with the orchestra over the course of the season as well, including Stephen d’Agostino, Jean-Pascal Hamelin, Aziz Shokhakimov, Airat Ichmouratov, Julien Proulx, Matthias Maute,  Joël Thiffault and Mark Fewer. Soloists include pianist Katherine Chi, and violinist Kerson Leong, and the programs include newer works by Michael Oesterle and Airat Ichmouratov.

For more information, please visit www.imusici.com.

It’s been a big week at I Musici de Montreal. The Montreal-based chamber orchestra has announced the appointment of Jean-Marie Zeitouni as its new music director, effective June 1. He will balance this new role with duties at the Columbus (OH) Symphony, and will lead three concerts in 2011-12 and more in succeeding seasons.

At the same time, I Musici has confirmed the retirement of founding music director Yuli Turovsky, who founded the ensemble 27 years ago, and who is retiring from the role for health reasons following his last concert on May 18. Speaking about Maestro Turovsky’s retirement, IM musician representative said, “All of I Musici’s musicians observe Yuli Turovsky’s departure with great emotion: these past years under his leadership remained engraved on our hearts, a precious heritage and an ongoing source of inspiration.”

Finally, I Musici has announced the appointment of Stephanie Rose as its new directrice générale, effective April 26. A trained musician and arts administrator, Mme Rose has worked as an arts consultant and directrice générale of the Fondation de l’École nationale de cirque.

The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the retirement of Lance Elbeck, its Concertmaster of 33 seasons, at the conclusion of the 2011/2012 season. The HPO will audition concertmaster candidates through the 2011/2012 season; however, Mr. Elbeck will officially remain as concertmaster to the conclusion of the 11/12 season. Speaking about Mr. Elbeck, HPO Music Director James Sommerville said, “Lance has always been the kind of co-operative and collaborative colleague that all musicians appreciate. I know his departure will be deeply felt by our loyal audience, as much as by those of us fortunate enough to have shared the stage with him over the course of his long and illustrious Hamilton career.”

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has announced the retirement of its long-time Concertmaster, Cenek Vrba, for health reasons. He has served in the role for a remarkable 36 years, working with five different CPO music directors through the evolution of the orchestra through that time. Commenting on Mr. Vrba’s contributions to the CPO, Music Director Roberto Minczuk said, “His command of the instrument and his musical leadership of the Orchestra clearly shows an artist who knows his craft entirely and is able to follow every gesture, every nuance in the musical score and convey it very clearly to his section and the Orchestra. “He always made music with a lot of joy. In performance, he never spared himself but always played with all of his energy and heart, in a way that I could personally identify. I will miss him greatly as one of the most important leaders of the CPO.”

Natasha Bood, former executive director of the Regina Symphony, is now Director of Administration & Operations at Toronto Summer Music and Academy.

The Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra has announced the winners of its recent Young Artists Competition. Percussionist Matt Groenheide was the overall winner, and he will perform Michael Daugherty’s Raise the Roof for timpani and orchestra with the Symphony next season as part of the LSO Master Series. Sarah Viejou (horn), and Audrina Steciw (soprano), took second and third place respectively.

We continue to be amazed at the inventiveness of the seasonal programs presented by Canadian orchestras this year. So, for the third week in a row, here’s a round up of highlights from across the country, west to east.

In British Columbia, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra presents a pair of seasonal programs, starting this weekend with two performances of a concert that features “a story from the time of Dickens, dances, musical humour, plenty of seasonal tunes and a new young Symphony Award winner”, violinist Colleen Venables. The KSO and chorus present a sing-along Messiah next weekend. www.kamloopssymphony.com

Next week, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony presents four performances of a Yuletide Spectacular – one in Guelph and three in Kitchener – led by guest conductor David Martin, and featuring Men With Horns and a great big chorus! www.kwsymphony.ca

Last night (December 9), the intrepid I Musici de Montreal presented a program featuring Montreal-based klezmer ensemble Kleztory. Other works on the program include an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s string quartet no. 1 and a special performance of the Leopold Mozart’s Toy Symphony, featuring traditionally-clad Mohawk children from Kahnawake performing in the solo roles. www.imusici.com

This Sunday, the Ensemble instrumental Appassionata, led by Music Director Daniel Myssyk, gives a special performance of Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals at the Auditorium of Montreal’s Jardin botanique, featuring narration and projections by Guy Beausoleil, and additional music composed by Robert Marcel Lepage. www.appassionata.ca

In Quebec City, Les Violons du Roy – led by resident conductor Eric Paetkau – welcomes soprano Charlotte Corwin and harpist Valerie Milot in a pair of programs December 17 and 19, featuring seasonal music (some in special arrangements) by Frank Bridge, Peter Warlock, Gerald Finzi, Henri Büsser and Marcel Samuel-Rousseau. www.violonsduroy.com

The Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivieres welcomes younger audiences to a pair of short performances on December 12 as part of its Muffins aux sons series: Noël avec Jacques Lacombe et Trois Quatre. www.ostr.ca

And this week also brought announcements about Messiah performances in Saskatoon (with performances in Saskatoon and Battleford), Ottawa, Longueuil, Windsor, and Halifax – while the Canadian Tenors juggernaut continues its national tour, to sold out houses.

The Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival has announced that artistic director Agnes Grossmann will leave her post at the end of the 2010 season to pursue her international conducting and concert schedule. At the same time, the festival has announced the appointment of violist Douglas McNabney as her successor, effective August 14. “As founding Artistic Director, Agnes Grossmann has given us five years of exceptional service, working tirelessly to help us transform an appealing idea into a leading musical destination. The Festival attracts world-class artists and Academy faculty, and boasts full concert houses, critical acclaim and gifted young musical acolytes from around the world,” said TSM Chair Barbara Thompson. The Toronto-born McNabney is a violist with a wide-ranging and varied performing career as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician across Canada and internationally; as well, he was Artistic Director of The Domaine Forget International Festival from 2001 to 2005, and Chair of the Performance Department (2004-2008) of the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, where he is presently Associate Professor and Coordinator of Chamber Music.

On June 3, Yuli Turovsky, founder and music director of I Musici de Montreal was inducted as a Chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec by premier Jean Charest. Maestro Turovsky was cited for his exceptional dynamism over more than thirty years, enriching the musical scene in the province and serving as a true ambassador for culture. The Ordre national du Québec is the rarest and highest honor given by the Québec government, and is only granted to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the province’s people and its culture.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of David Dredla to the role of Artistic Administrator, effective August 3. Mr. Dredla has previously worked in artistic administration positions with the Detroit Symphony and the Phoenix Symphony, and is an alumni of both the University of Rochester and the University of Michigan in biology and trumpet performance respectively. In his position, he will work closely with Director of Artistic Planning, Loie Fallis, and Assistant, Artistic Administration Jennifer MacDonald.

The Pacific Baroque Orchestra has announced the appointment of Melissa Ratcliff as its new General Manager. She succeeds Nancy Cottingham Powell, who left PBO to take up a position with Festival Vancouver.

I Musici de Montreal has just announced its 2010-11 season, the 25th since it was founded by cellist-conductor Yuli Turovsky. The season includes 2 distinct series featuring a broad repertoire from Baroque to contemporary: five programs on the “Downtown” series, and six programs (each performed twice) on the “Ogilvy” series, with concerts at 11 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. The season opens October 25 with a gala concert starring violinist turned conductor Maxim Vengerov. For more information, you can visit I Musici’s website here.

Hearty, if belated congratulations to the Orchestras Canada members whose recordings have been nominated for Juno Awards this year!  The nominations were announced March 3, and the awards will be presented during Juno week, April 12-18 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

In the Classical Album of the Year, Large Ensemble or soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment category, we salute OC members
Les Violons du Roy – Bartok
Louis Lortie and Orchestre symphonique de Québec - Mendelssohn – Piano Concertos 1 & 2 – Symphony No. 5
National Youth Orchestra of Canada – Selections From the 2009 National Tour
Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Orchestre Métropolitain - Bruckner Symphony No. 8

In the Classical Album of the Year:  Solo or Chamber Ensemble, we honour
I Musici de Montreal – Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Quartet No. 1

And, in the Classical Composition of the Year category, we recognize the nomination of Rob Teehan‘s Dreams of Flying, recorded by the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

For more information on the Juno Awards, you can visit the website here.

Yesterday and today, I Musici de Montréal (led by music director Yuli Turovsky) presents Stars of the Future, a concert featuring seven soloists under the age of 16.  The wide-ranging program includes operatic excerpts, concerto movements for violin, flute and clarinet by Vivaldi, Seitz, Quantz and Weber, a word for erhu and strings, and Edith Piaf‘s Non, je ne regrette rien! Also featured is guest conductor Stéphane Tétreault, a 16-year old student of Yuli Turovsky who has had a very busy and successful year on the cello as well.

For more information about this concert and its array of outstanding young soloists, please visit here.

Earlier this week, I Musici de Montreal embarked on its fourth-ever tour of China, a tour that will see the orchestra perform in seven different cities between October 14 and 25.  The orchestra, under the leadership of music director Yuli Turovsky, will perform in Dongguan, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Changzhou, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Beijing.  Tour repertoire includes works by Mozart, Shostakovich and three works by Tchaikovsky, including the composer’s Souvenir de Florence, recently released by I Musici on the Analekta label. 
 
Support for the tour has been provided by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and Power Corporation Canada. For more information about the orchestra, please visit their website here.

It’s been an exciting time as member orchestras across the country share the details of their season-opening concerts.  Here are a few highlights:
 
Tafelmusik launches its 2009-2010 Toronto season with set of joint concerts with Montreal’s Arion Baroque Orchestra, featuring celebratory music by Jacques Danican Philidor, André Danican Philidor, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Johann Christian Bach and George Frideric Handel (Music for the Royal Fireworks). Leadership duties on the concerts are shared between Tafelmusik Music Director Jeanne Lamon and Dutch cellist and gambist Jaap ter Linden.  Not only will the concert be heard in Toronto, but it will also tour to Quebec the following week.  For more information about Tafelmusik, please visit here;  for more information about Arion, please visit here.

Symphony Nova Scotia kicks off its season with a series of free concerts during its second annual Symphony Week, running Tuesday, September 22 to Sunday, September 27.  The week features Symphony Nova Scotia musicians giving free, live performances at such venues as City Hall, the Spring Garden Road Library, Scotia Square Mall, Citadel High, and the Maritime Museum. Performances will include everything from children’s music to orchestral concerts featuring the entire Symphony – and one highlight among many is a new partnership with the Atlantic Film Festival, wherein the orchestra is teaming up with emerging film composers to perform and record original soundtracks to new Canadian films. Click here for more info.

I Musici de Montreal opens its Downtown Series with a celebration of the 60th anniversary of Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (JMC), featuring a pair of pianists who took part in the Montreal International Musical Competition 2008. Competition winner Nareh Arghamanyan will play Concerto No 2 by Saint-Saëns, Israeli pianist Dorel Golan will interpret the first Concerto by Mendelssohn – and they’ll team up to perform the concerto for two pianos by Mozart. The program will be led by I Musici music director Yuli Turovsky. Click here for more info.  
 
While the National Arts Centre Orchestra actually opened its season in the pit for Opera Lyra’s production of The Magic Flute, the orchestra will formally open its season with the five-concert Romantic Revolution Festival, September 23-October 1.  Four of five festival programs will be led by NACO Music Director Pinchas Zukerman, and concerts will feature guest artists Gil Shaham, Angela Cheng, Lynn Harrell and Katherine Chi, along with guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni.  The festival has been designed as a n exploration of the pivotal period in artistic and musical history that marked the emergence of Romanticism, and will range from Haydn to Schumann and Verdi. Each concert opens with a capella musical selections sung by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa led by director Michael Zaugg, and there will also be pre-concert lectures, and a post-concert talkback.  Click here for more info.