Orchestras Canada

The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the appointment of Aimé Dontigny as the Head of the Music Section, succeeding Russell Kelley, who retired in December. He is an accomplished electro-acoustic musician and administrator who’s been working at the Council since 2007, and he starts right away. Congratulations, Aimé!

Congratulations to the gifted young musicians who took part in NAC Orchestra Bursary Competition this year. The big winners were bassoonist Darren Hicks, flutist Christian Paquette, clarinettist Nicholas Galuban, harpist Antoine Malette-Chénier, and trombonist Riccardo Nazario del Castello, with honourable mentions going to flutists Lara Deutsch and Graham McVeety and oboist Aidan Dugan. The NAC Orchestra Bursary was established in 1979 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the National Arts Centre Orchestra and to thank the people of the National Capital Region for their support during the Orchestra’s first decade. The first competition took place in 1981. The Bursary Committee and Jury were chaired for the second year by Roderick Bell, passionate music lover, former Canadian Ambassador to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and an active volunteer at the National Arts Centre.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has announced that Andrea Cohen, a community health services executive, has been named as its next CEO, succeeding Robin Cardozo.

At its late May concerts with pianist Yevgeny Sudbin, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra will also celebrate the 40th anniversary of its association with Conductor Laureate Kazuyoshi Akiyama. Amazingly, Maestro Akiyama began his twelve year tenure as VSO Music Director in 1972.

The Calgary Philharmonic has advised that the 2012-13 season brings a promotion for Mélanie Léonard, the CPO’s Resident Conductor for the last four seasons. Effective in September, Ms. Léonard will take on the role of Associate Conductor.

Luce Moreau, President and CEO of the Orchestre Metropolitain since 2008, has stepped down from that role, effective immediately.

Last Saturday night, April 28, Owen Sound’s Georgian Bay Symphony celebrated its 40th anniversary with a concert that included the world premiere of a new work, a return engagement by a locally-raised pianist now studying at Indiana University, and a larger-than-usual orchestra bolstered by alumni returning for the event. The program was conducted by long-time GBS music director John Barnum.

The new work, Manitoulin, was written by Richard Mascall and is based on his research into First Nations culture and music – preparation that included a lot of listening, an introduction to the Woodlands School of Painting, and time spent drumming on Sunday afternoons with Thunder Timberwolf and his M’Wikwedong drummers. A slightly longer version of the work is scheduled for two performances next month with Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

The local pianist is Kati Gleiser, who was featured in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto #3, and the grand finale work was Shostakovich’s Symphony #5. Here’s to another forty years for the GBSO!

To read more about composer Richard Mascall, his musical life, and his approach to creating the new work, please click here.

AUDITIONS

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Principal Trombone / Trombone solo
Application deadline/Date limite : May 14 mai 2012

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Section Viola / Alto de section
Application deadline/Date limite : May 7 mai 2012

ADMINISTRATIVE / ADMINISTRATIFS

Toronto Symphony Orchestra
TSYO Manager & Education Assistant
Application deadline/Date limite : April 19 avril 2012

The Orchestre symphonique de Québec has just announced its 2012-13 season, its first under new Music Director Fabien Gabel. The program reflects the full breadth of orchestral repertoire and colour, and includes 43 programs, most packaged into one of 8 different series. As well, the OSQ will continue in its use of pictograms to help music lovers identify the programs most likely to delight them – a helpful initiative launched last season.

Symphony Nova Scotia launched its 2012-13 season last week, its . It’s the orchestra’s 30th anniversary season, and its tenth under the leadership of Music Director Bernhard Gueller. The intrepid 37-player orchestra presents a diverse season that celebrates the cornerstones of the classical repertoire, outstanding Canadian soloists, and gifted Nova Scotian and Canadian singer-songwriters.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra announced its 65th season late last week, incorporating 7 series, 37 different programs, and 63 performances. Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate is featured, along with guest soloists Yuja Wang, Measha Brueggergosman, Ben Heppner and the Barenaked Ladies. As well, we get a tantalizing glimpse of the 2013 New Music Festival, with the news that Steve Reich’s music will be featured in early February.

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra announced its busy 2012-13 season, its 13th under the leadership of Bramwell Tovey. It’s far too large to summarize in a single paragraph, so we’ll borrow from the VSO’s own media release! “A long list of internationally-renowned guest soloists and conductors join the GRAMMY and Juno Award-winning Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in a season that features over one hundred performances of the best in classics, Symphony Pops, concerts for children and families, and special crossover concerts. In addition to core series performances in downtown Vancouver, the VSO once again visits venues around the Lower Mainland, performing in North Vancouver, Surrey, South Delta, West Vancouver, Coquitlam and Burnaby.”

Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec have announced the programs they’ll be presenting in Québec and Montréal in 2012-13, under the leadership of Bernard Labadie. Featured soloists include soprano Sandrine Piau, pianist Alexandre Tharaud and flutist Emmanuel Pahud – the latter featured with the orchestra in a return visit to New York’s Carnegie Hall. A special feature of the season will be Les Violons du Roy’s first-ever joint performance with I Musici de Montréal, led by that orchestra’s music director (and protege of Maestro Labadie), Jean-Marie Zeitouni.

ADMINISTRATIVE / ADMINISTRATIFS

National Arts Centre / Centre national des arts
National Administrator, Music Alive Program / Administrateur/trice national/e, Programme Vive la musique (PVM)
Application deadline/Date limite : April 12 avril 2012

AUDITIONS

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Concertmaster / Premier violon solo
Application deadline/Date limite : April 27 avril 2012

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Principal Second Violin / Deuxième violon solo
Application deadline/Date limite : April 10 avril 2012

Canadian Opera Company
Second Trumpet / Deuxième trompette
Application deadline/Date limite : May 5 mai 2012

Canadian Opera Company
Principal Trombone / Trombone solo
Application deadline/Date limite : May 11 mai 2012

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Section Violin
Application deadline/Date limite : June 4 juin 2012

Vancouver Opera
Violin (core orchestra)
Application deadline/Date limite : April 13 avril 2012

Orchestra London
Associate Concertmaster
Application deadline/Date limite : April 27 avril 2012

Orchestra London
Principal Flute
Application deadline/Date limite : April 30 avril 2012

AUDITIONS

Early last week, the nominations for this year’s Juno Awards (to be presented in Ottawa, March 26-31) were announced. We were delighted to see so many Canadian orchestras – along with the soloists and composers who enliven their seasons – honoured in the assorted classical categories.

Our particular congratulations to the following nominees:

Classical Album of the Year: Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment:

Alexandre Da Costa/Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Acacia Classics*Universal
Daugherty : Fire and Blood
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Métropolitain ATMA*Naxos
Bruckner 4
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Métropolitain ATMA*Naxos
Florent Schmidt- La tragédie de salomé

Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance:

Marie-Josée Lord; Orchestre Métropolitain; Giuseppe Pietraroia ATMA*Naxos
Marie-Josée Lord
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra & Daniel Taylor Analekta*Select
J.S. Bach: Cantatas 70 & 154; Concerto 1060; Orchestral Suite No. 2

Classical Composition of the Year:

Jeffrey Ryan Naxos
Equilateral (recorded by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bramwell Tovey)

For a complete list of nominations, please visit junoawards.ca.