Orchestras Canada

Congratulations to the young winners of the 28th annual Concours de l’Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivieres : grand prize winner, flutist Ariane Brisson, and second place winners, clarinettist Éric Abramovitz and percussionist Charles-Alexis Côté (the latter also awarded the People’s Choice award).

Congratulations are also due to eight young classical or jazz musicians who will be taking part in “My First NAC”, a free concert in the Studio of the National Arts Centre on May 29. They’ve all been touched by one or more of the NAC’s artist training programs (from the Manhattan on the Rideau masterclasses, ‘Musically Speaking’ pre-show chats and concerts, Family Adventures with the NAC Orchestra, the Summer Music Institute Young Artists Program, to the Debut Series), and each will be awarded a $1,000 Astral Artist Prize. The young performers are Matthew Chalmers, jazz vibraphone/drums; Timothy Chooi, violin; Lara Deutsch, flute; Aidan Ferguson, mezzo-soprano; Emilie Grimes, viola; Alexander Malikov, piano; Simon Millerd, jazz trumpet; and Dan Reynolds, jazz piano.

Orchestra Toronto has announced the winner of the 2012 Marta Hidy Prize: fifteen-year-old cellist Daniel Hass of Toronto. The prize is named for the Canadian violinist Marta Hidy, whose legacy as a solo artist, orchestral and chamber musician, conductor, teacher and music professor it honours. Daniel is a student of David Hetherington, and is principal cellist of both the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Academy Chamber Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has announced its Composer-in-Residence for 2012 : James O’Callaghan. Mr. O’Callaghan, who was also selected for the Canadian League of Composers/Canadian Music Centre’s inaugural Composer Mentoring Project in 2011, will compose an original work for the NYOC’s 2013 North American tour.

After an emotional series of farewell concerts, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra has named departing Music Director John Morris Russell as its Conductor Laureate, the first time in the orchestra’s 65-year history when that title has been awarded. Speaking about the appointment, Maestro Russell said “I am deeply honoured to receive this title and look forward with joy and affection to many years of great music making to come.”

At their recent meeting in Vancouver, delegates to the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians’ annual gatheringtook the opportunity to thank and celebrate outgoing OCSM President Francine Schutzman, who has stepped down after eight years as chair and a remarkable 30 years of involvement with OCSM.  She will be missed – and not least by her colleagues on the board of Orchestras Canada!  An articulate, tireless and caring advocate for the rights of musicians, Francine has been 2nd oboist and English horn with the National Arts Centre Orchestra since 1974, and is also currently President of the Ottawa-Gatineau Musicians Association, Local 180 of the Canadian Federation of Musicians. Congratulations to Matthew Heller, double bassist from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, who succeeds Francine Schutzman in the role of President of the Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians.  Orchestras Canada looks forward to working with Matthew in his new role. Other members of the OCSM executive are: First Vice-President: David Brown (Vancouver Symphony), Second Vice-President: Robert McCosh (Calgary Philharmonic), Secretary: Robert Fraser (Victoria Symphony), Treasurer: Greg Sheldon (Windsor Symphony), Publications Editor: Barbara Hankins, Data Bank Administrator: Stefan Jungkind and Webmaster: Ken MacDonald.

Musicians across the country were saddened to hear of the recent passing of tubist and administrator Hub Meyer, long-time member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (where he combined his role as Principal Tuba with personnel management responsibilities) and subsequently Manager of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.  He will be missed.

Congratulations to violinist Bénédicte Lauzière, the first-ever winner of the Canada Council Michael Measures Prize. Launched in September 2010, the prize – presented to Ms Lauziere at a concert by the National Youth Orchestra in Montréal last week – will provide Ms. Lauzière with $15,000 to help build her career. “Bénédicte was the clear and obvious choice for the inaugural Canada Council Michael Measures Prize,” said Barbara Smith, Executive Director of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC). “She is one of the most promising string players in the country and we are certain she will make an impact on the world of classical music for many years to come. This first-time award is acknowledgement for all her years of hard work, both as a violinist and as student of NYOC’s Career Training Institute.”
Orchestra Toronto has announced the appointment of Wendy Limbertie, a long-time arts administrator and professional musician, as Executive Director. She succeeds Judy Mann, who recently retired from the role after 10 years. Previously, Limbertie served as executive director of the Aradia Baroque Ensemble and was executive director of the Amici Chamber Ensemble for eight years before that. As a professional classical French horn player, Limbertie performed and recorded in Europe with the Amsterdam Opera Company and in Canada with orchestras and chamber groups that included the East York Symphony, the precursor of Orchestra Toronto; the Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo symphonies and the Aradia and Amici ensembles.

Earlier this week, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada began its national audition tour, during which almost 500 young Canadian musicians will compete for the opportunity to take part in this summer’s training and performance program. From Charlottetown PE to Victoria BC (and with a special stop in Bloomington IN), proctors from the NYOC will oversee 32 audition dates on the tour, with a particular highlight being the Toronto-based auditions for the first-ever $15,000 Canada Council Michael Measures Prize for the highest ranked concertmaster candidate. For more information about the NYOC, please visit their website.

Earlier this week, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the creation of the Canada Council Michael Measures Prize to recognize promising young performers of classical music through a partnership with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYOC). The award is being established thanks to a $1 million bequest to the Canada Council from the late Michael Measures, a music enthusiast and long-time volunteer in the Ottawa arts community. The prize will be awarded annually to a single recipient from the income generated by the endowment – and the first $15,000 award will be presented in 2011.

The NYOC will coordinate and supervise the administration of the competition and selection of the annual winner. A recipient, between the ages of 16-22, will be chosen from those who have successfully completed the annual summer training program.

“This is excellent news for young musicians from across the country, as it will allow the recipients to kick start their careers on the Canadian stage,” says NYOC Chair Randy Barber. “The opportunity to win such a large prize will also allow the NYOC to draw a high caliber of applicants, thus ensuring that we will continue to foster the careers of this country’s most talented young musicians by providing them with a top quality orchestral experience.”

For more information about the award, please visit the NYOC’s website.

We’ve had a few more announcements about summer concerts this week, which we’re happy to share with you! And if you are planning summer events – please let us know. Simply send your media releases to info@oc.ca

Orchestre Métropolitain du grand Montréal has announced its summer concerts, six performances of two programs celebrating the human voice. The orchestra’s music director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will lead an all-star Canadian cast in two concert performances of Mozart‘s Don Giovanni (June 30 and July 4), and guest conductor Alain Trudel will take the helm for four performances focused on French operatic repertoire, featuring Marianne Fiset and Marc Hervieux. For more information, you can visit the orchestra’s website here.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has released its tour dates for its 50th anniversary season. The University of Western Ontario is the site for this year’s training program, and the orchestra opens its tour (under the leadership of Jacques Lacombe) in London on July 24, and finishes in Edmonton on August 14. In between, the group will perform in a number of other communities in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia – with a highlight possibly being their performance with tenor Ben Heppner in Stratford on July 25.  You can visit the orchestra’s website here.

The Guelph Symphony Orchestra is presenting its 7th Annual – and free! – Concert in the Park on June 27 at Guelph’s Riverside Park Bandshell. The program, led by GSO music director Simon Irving, is entitled An Afternoon at the Proms, and will feature orchestra members in traditional light British music. For more information about the GSO, you can visit their 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.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada has appointed Katic Agócs as its 2010 composer-in-residence.  Windsor-born Ms. Agocs will compose a special piece for the orchestra’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2010, which will see the NYOC perform in cities from Montreal, QC to Vancouver, B.C.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2010 Knigge Music Competition in Piano at the UBC School of Music:  First Prize: Mila Teovanovic, Toronto, Ontario; Second Prize: Alexander Malikov, Calgary, Alberta; Third Prize: Everett Hopfner, Brandon, Manitoba; Fourth Prize: Kun Yao, Calgary, Alberta.

The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra has announced the appointment of Clint Kuschak as interim General Manager, during the maternity leave of GM Leanne Atkinson.  Mr. Kuschak is no stranger to the TBSO, having served as the orchestra’s landlord during his long tenure at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium, and also as its general manager a number of years ago.

As the TBSO nears the conclusion of the search for a new Music Director, it has issued a commendation of resident conductor Stéphane Potvin, who has also served as the group’s Artistic Administrator throughout the 2009-2010 season.  In a release the TBSO noted that “Maestro Potvin has taken on a myriad of artistic responsibilities this season. Relying on his experience both as a conductor and administrator, he has been instrumental in the planning of the orchestra’s upcoming 50th anniversary concert season. Maestro Potvin is leading the symphony through this transition time and is opening the door for further artistic excellence.”

The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has just announced that Heather Slater will take the role of Director, Artistic Operations on June 28.  She comes to the position from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where she has served as Associate Director of Artistic Administration for the past five years.  “I am very pleased to be joining the management team of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, one of Canada’s most acclaimed cultural institutions, and one which is poised for continued growth”, says Ms. Slater. “Along with Maestro Minczuk and the CPO’s extraordinary musicians and staff, I look forward to guiding the next phase of this growth, and helping to take the orchestra to new artistic heights.”

The CPO has also announced the appointment of John Anderson as Associate Director, Artistic Operations. Mr. Anderson received his Master of Arts in Musicology from the University of Calgary and has taught music for the University of Lethbridge, Calgary campus, for 13 years. He joined the CPO in October 2008 and the Orchestra has benefited greatly from his wealth of business experience and music knowledge.

The National Youth Orchestra of Canada is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2010, and they are calling for “stories, photos or anything else you would like to share with us” for a 50th anniversary commemorative yearbook.  Submissions should be sent to bpunambolam@nyoc.org. 

For more information on the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, please visit their website here.