Orchestras Canada

The Kawartha Youth Orchestra has provided a tantalizing update on their upcoming gala, dubbed “A Feast for the Senses”. The event, which takes place November 3, is now in its second year, and features Canadian wine paired with cheese and chocolate. The evening, of course, also includes music – to be provided by members of the Kawartha Youth Orchestra (as the “warm-up act”) and the internationally renowned Cecilia Quartet. Most of the net proceeds are tagged for the KYO’s Bursary fund.

The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières presents a similarly enticing approach to its annual benefit concert: this one – scheduled for November 11 – features a new work by the gifted team of André Gagnon (music) and Michel Tremblay (text), performed by the stunning Marie-Nicole Lemieux and the orchestra, under the direction of Jacques Lacombe. The new work is entitled Lettres de Madame Roy à sa fille Gabrielle, and recreates the correspondence between soon-to-be celebrated Québec writer Gabrielle Roy and her mother, during Gabrielle Roy’s studies in Europe in the late 1930s. Also on the program: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder. Options for supporters of the orchestra include a cocktail, dinner and the concert; cocktail and concert; or concert only.

Orchestras Canada likes to celebrate the times when member orchestras perform Canadian repertoire—world premieres, or repeat performances—and we have a few things to celebrate this week, to be sure!

Tomorrow, October 18, the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil (led by Music Director Marc David) welcomes celebrated Italian pianist Francesco Nicolosi, who will perform Anne Lauber’s Piano Concerto No. 3—a work commissioned by the pianist, and with performances also scheduled in Mexico in November.

Sunday, October 20, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières opens its concert with the world premiere of the symphonic version of a two minute long work by Anthony Rozankovic, commissioned by the Conseil québécois de la Musique for its 25th anniversary. The work, entitled 25 ans ensemble pour la musique (25 years together for music) is available in eight different versions (ranging from baroque to electro-acoustic), and you can learn more about them (and download parts and scores, too), here.

October 26 and 27, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and soloist Alain Lefèvre, led by guest conductor Jean-Philippe Tremblay, will perform Andre Mathieu’s Piano Concerto No. 4. Mathieu—a virtuosic performer on, and prolific composer for, the piano—was influenced by both Rachmaninoff and Debussy, His Piano Concerto No. 4 was completed in 1947. Speaking about the work and the soloist, conductor Tremblay says, “in the last ten years or so, pianist Alain Lefèvre has re-discovered and championed the works of French-Canadian wunderkind composer André Mathieu on all continents. The fourth piano concerto is probably the strongest work that Mathieu wrote in his short career. It has a more personal feeling to it, as if he had found his own voice. I have had the chance to conduct this piece with Alain in France, China and Canada and each time it is such a thrill to be part of.”

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra has announced an extension of Maestro Jacques Lacombe’s contract to the 2015-16 season. As he’s done for the last two seasons, he will combine this role with his leadership of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and an active guest conducting schedule in North America and Europe.

The Orchestre Métropolitain has announced that its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor,Yannick Nézet-Séguin, has been signed to the Deutsche Grammophon label. Joining a prestigious roster that includes Maestros such as Karajan, Kleiber, Bernstein and Giulini, as well as Abbado and Barenboim, Yannick becomes the first Canadian conductor associated with DG.

Symphony Nova Scotia has shared sad news of the passing of Frank Ridgeway, former Symphony Nova Scotia (and Atlantic Symphony) musician and music librarian. A trumpet player who began his professional career with the Royal Air Force in England in 1948, he immigrated to Canada in 1954, and performed with such groups as the Stadacona Band, the National Band of the Army Reserve, the London Palladium Orchestra, the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and later Symphony Nova Scotia. He taught privately and at Acadia University.

On Monday, May 28 Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada held its Annual General Meeting for the 2011-12 year – OC’s 40th birthday! The event took place in the IBM Amphitheatre at HEC Montréal – a fine setting for a positive and forward-looking meeting.

Mme Thérèse Boutin, directrice générale of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, was re-appointed as chair for a second year. Reporting on the year that was, she highlighted OC’s numerous services to the orchestral community, particularly its advocacy work. She noted the role that OC had played in planning and organizing the Canadian Arts Coalition’s Arts Day on Parliament Hill, an event that was pivotal in sustaining the Government of Canada’s investment in the arts through the Canada Council for the Arts. As well, she advised members about the role that board members are playing in shaping a new strategic and operating plan for OC, a plan that commits OC to advocacy, network development, and supporting innovation.

Members voted in favour of a slate of directors that included four new members for the Board: Maxim Antoshin (Regina Symphony Orchestra), Marie-Josée Desrochers (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal), Matthew Jones (Timmins Symphony Orchestra) and Genevieve Twomey (Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony). They joined continuing members Thérèse Boutin (Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières), Trudy Schroeder (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), Sophie Galaise (Orchestre symphonique de Québec), Lisa Hamel (Toronto Symphony Orchestra), Erika Beatty (Symphony Nova Scotia), Leanne Davis (Vancouver Symphony Orchestra), Mitchell Krieger (Victoria Symphony Orchestra), and Vicki Young (Manitoba Chamber Orchestra). Four ex-officio members also sit on the Board: Ann Lewis-Luppino (Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Past Chair), Bernard Tremblay, Mark Tetreault (Canadian Federation of Musicians) and Matt Heller (Organization of Canadian Symphony Musicians). Sophie Galaise, chair of the nominating committee, also thanked those Board members who had stepped down at or prior to the AGM: Bryan Croft, Ken MacLeod, Luce Moreau and Annelisa Pedersen.

Finally, treasurer Lisa Hamel updated members on OC’s financial position at the end of 2011-12. OC received a clean opinion from auditors Cowperthwaite Mehta, and showed a small excess of revenues over expenses on operations for the year. In addition, OC expended just over $11,000 from its strategic reserve fund (comprised of accumulated operational surpluses since 2005) on two board-approved projects in 2011-12, the better to serve its members.

We’ve posted OC’s annual report and audited financial statement for 2011-12 on-line here.

Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada is pleased to announced that we’ve engaged Toronto-based consultant Debra J. Chandler to serve as our Community Organizer, effective May 27. It’s a dual-purpose role, made possible with funding from both the Ontario Trillium Foundation and an investment from OC’s strategic reserve fund. Debra will both design and implement a series of programs for Ontario’s small budget orchestras, and undertake various strategies to strengthen communication and information exchange between non-CEO staff at OC’s professional orchestra members. Debra made her debut at OC’s recent national meetings in Montréal, and we are very much looking forward to working with her!

Congratulations to Maestro Jacques Lacombe, music director of both the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and the New Jersey Symphony, and a busy operatic and orchestral conductor on the international stage. He’s just been named as a chevalier of the Ordre national du Québec, the highest distinction awarded by the provincial government. Maestro Lacombe will receive the award at a ceremony in Québec tomorrow (June 7).

Congratulations are also due to Mme Olga Farman, chair of the board of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec and partner at prominent Québec law firm Lavery, de Billy, who was recently awarded one of the YWCA’s Women of Distinction prizes in the Business and Professions category.

Annelisa Pedersen, who has been Executive Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra for three seasons, has announced that she will be leaving that position August 31 to embark on a master’s degree in public policy at Queen’s University, underwritten by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. The HPO board has launched a search for her successor.

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.”

It’s been a busy couple of weeks since we last reported on season launches – and we’re pleased to catch up on the latest:

The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, under music director Jacques Lacombe, presents a nine-concert program (plus gala fundraising concert) during its 35th anniversary season. Highlights include the premiere of a new work by André Gagnon and Michel Tremblay, based on letters from Gabrielle Roy to her mother, and performed by Marie-Nicole Lemieux with the orchestra.

I Musici de Montréal released details of its first full season under the leadership of artistic director and principal conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni – 37 concerts in venues ranging from the Maison symphonique to the Salle Bourgie, featuring emerging Canadian talent, long-time artistic partners, and first-time artistic collaboration with Les Violons du Roy and the choir of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has launched its 2012-13 season – its fifth under Music Director Kent Nagano – and highlights include not only large-scale projects (opening the season with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and closing it with Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake), but also the debut of a new chamber choir (under the leadership of Andrew Megill), twelve Montreal premieres and three world premieres, including a new Haydn-inspired work by DJ Champion.

The Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra has launched its 2012-13 season, a five-concert program that, consistent with the GTPO’s policy, is led by an array of guest conductors, each of whom brings a slightly different flavour to their chosen program.

The Victoria Symphony celebrates Music Director Tania Miller’s 10th season with the orchestra with a “blockbuster array of repertoire and stars”, including performances by James Ehnes and Chantal Kreviazuk, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, and a New Music Festival featuring the music of John Cage.

AUDITIONS

Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Substitute/Extra Violins
Application deadline/Date limite : May 1 mai 2012

Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières
Principal Percussion / Percussion solo
Section Violin I / Violon I de section
Application deadline/Date limite : May 12 mai 2012

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 Léonard, its Resident Conductor for the past three seasons, has been appointed to the position of Associate Conductor. Her new title will take effect this September, at the commencement of the 2012/2013 Season. As stated in the CPO’s media release, “Ms. Léonard’s impassioned love of music, her charming stage presence, and her rapport with musicians and audiences have become her signature style.”

Every once in a while, the media releases that flood into our inbox at Orchestra News start to form into a pattern. And so it is this week, with reminders of major concerts in Trois-Rivières and Montréal: post-romantic repertoire is alive and well in La Belle Province!

Sunday, March 18, the Orchestre Métropolitain (led by music director Yannick Nezet-Seguin) performs both the adagio from Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 and—rather remarkably–the Montréal premiere of Alexander Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony (1923) at the Maison symphonique. The latter work features soprano Angela Meade and baritone Brett Polegato.

March 17, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières (led by its music director, Jacques Lacombe) presents a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 – a work the orchestra describes as an “expression of love for life, complete with reflections on mortality, heroism, the necessity of fighting against tyranny, and the thirst for freedom.” The concert also marks the conclusion of the OSTR’s work with thirty-four students at Shawinigan’s école Immaculée-Conception, who have been working since January with the orchestra. Each student has been twinned with an orchestra member, the class has had a number of visits from orchestra musicians and staff, and they also attended a rehearsal of the Mahler symphony in Montreal.